When Giannis Papatheoharis saw the finished “Athens Arena” in the mid-2000s, designed by Kostas Varotsos, he struggled to contain his emotion.

Twenty-five years later, the iconic nightclub—one that changed the face of Athens nightlife by setting new standards for nighttime entertainment—is preparing to enter a new era.

Giannis and Niki Papatheoharis

Shipowner Giannis Koustas paid €20,000,000 to businessman Giannis Papalekas, who had bought the property for €7,000,000 from Prodea.

It was a move that surprised few, given the very close friendship between the Kousta couple and Anna Vissi—who is also their child’s godmother. Last May, she baptized Giannis Koustas Jr. in Symi.

The purchase of this particular nightclub was made to house, from the new season onward, the “ultimate” performer—as her devoted fans call her—following an extensive renovation of the space.

The new project will be fully undertaken by D&A Productions, the company founded by Dimitra Kousta and Anna Vissi, which also organized the singer’s two spectacular sold-out concerts at the Panathenaic Stadium last September.

Those concerts drew 120,000 people and became the talk of the town for days, as social media were flooded with videos from her fans, many of whom traveled from abroad to see her.

The renovation and the new project

Last November, Anna Vissi and Dimitra Mermigka traveled to New York for business and pleasure.

In an Instagram story, the singer posed smiling alongside renowned architect Peter Marino and her close friend and godmother, tagging them and writing: “New projects ahead.”

That “ahead” did not take long, although almost no one knew at the time that the deal was imminent, and very few were aware that just days earlier the two women had visited the Athens Arena for a tour of the space.

The vast venue, which has remained closed for four years, will be completely renovated by D&A Productions. According to reports, architect Peter Marino will be responsible for the new design of the venue, which will host Anna Vissi from next season.

In its new form, the Athens Arena will be able to accommodate around 1,600 people, although some estimate that up to 2,000 spectators may enjoy the shows. The renovation is expected to cost about €3,000,000.

State-of-the-art technology will be employed in sound, visuals, and lighting, enabling the venue to host high-specification shows from abroad, which will occasionally complement Vissi’s program and add a different dynamic.

The two close friends and godmothers aim to redefine the concept of a show at the new venue, with high aesthetics and quality as their guiding principles.

This was evident to everyone at Vissi’s two concerts at the Panathenaic Stadium, where dancers from Taylor Swift’s team perfectly complemented her in a spectacular production.

Anna’s decision to change venues comes ten years after her full return to the nightlife scene in 2015, which began at “Hotel Ermou” by Giannis Morakis in Thiseio—a 500-seat venue where the singer thrived before moving to a larger space on Piraeus Street, working alongside the same businessman for a full decade.

End of an era

That choice proved decisive and marked Vissi’s powerful comeback to Athens nightlife, as the venue resembled a club more than a traditional stage and featured no flowers.

What has not yet been clarified—though it is still early—is whether Anna Vissi will continue her collaboration with the businessman who supported her all these years. Morakis reportedly has not yet had a serious discussion with the singer about what comes next, but has told friends that he remains by Anna’s side.

Their professional relationship has been tested for a decade with excellent results, as “Hotel Ermou” continues to be packed with Vissi’s fans even this year.

As for the future, it is still too early to say anything mid-season. What is considered certain is that in the coming period the businessman will have extensive discussions with Anna Vissi and likely with the new owner of the Athens Arena, Giannis Koustas.

The latter reportedly covered the costs of the two days—Christmas Eve and Christmas Day—when “Hotel Ermou” did not open, as Anna Vissi wanted to rest and traveled with her close friends to Courchevel.

The Dalaras–Remos pairing and the suites

Among many achievements, Giannis Papatheoharis can boast that he was the one who convinced Giorgos Daláras to return to nightlife—something he had long abandoned—to collaborate with Antonis Remos, specifically for this venue.

He inaugurated it in the winter of 2004, and his new creation was by far the best in Greece in terms of what is known as a “large stage.”

It could host up to 2,000 people across three levels and was designed by Kostas Varotsos so that even the furthest tables had a perfect view of the stage.

For the first time, twelve suites were also created, hosting well-known groups who wanted a more private experience rather than front-row tables—an option favored by businesspeople who were not fans of traditional bouzoukia venues.

Much was said about the Daláras–Remos collaboration that inaugurated the venue, especially about Daláras’s decision to return to a stage setting, even though flowers were initially not allowed in his program.

That later changed. What remained the same was that, for the first time, the program ended at 3:15 a.m., at Daláras’s request—something that stunned Remos’s fans, who were used to him beginning his second set at that hour.

Daláras, on the other hand, appeared visibly uncomfortable facing a different audience, particularly those seated at the front tables—an audience he had not engaged with for years, having performed in entirely different venues.

This was something Papatheoharis observed, having singled out Remos since his early days as one of the “youngsters” in his clubs.

Triumph with Marinella

With the instinct of a businessman who knows what resonates with audiences, he took Remos under his wing, recognizing that the young man from Thessaloniki was the next big thing in music—and he was right. Together they achieved great success, creating concepts that wrote their own history in Athens nightlife.

He was also the one who chose that the flowers be only white gardenias or white carnations, so that women’s dresses would not be stained.

His business motto was simple: “We are the Greek national team and we get along with everyone. We sell entertainment.” He adhered to it throughout his years in nightlife, guided by his own aesthetic of how a venue that respects its customers should operate.

After Daláras, Remos collaborated at the Arena with Michalis Hatzigiannis in a season that drew mixed reactions due to a lack of chemistry between the two artists.

That chemistry arrived in the winter of 2006, when the grande dame of Greek song, Marinella, said “yes” to Papatheoharis and collaborated with Antonis not once, but for two consecutive seasons at the Arena.

The same happened in 2009, when Remos chose for the first time to appear solo, having by then become—alongside Notis Sfakianakis—one of the most commercially successful and popular performers. He returned to the venue on Piraeus Street in 2017 with Eleni Foureira and in the 2018–2019 season with Despina Vandi.

That was the last time the lights were turned on at the iconic venue created by the man who took the concept of “bouzoukia” to another level with his clubs and productions.

They are expected to light up again next autumn, if all goes well, to welcome Anna Vissi to a space that promises to be the most advanced venue Athens nightlife has seen in recent years.