From one end of the country to the other, people of all ages celebrated the arrival of the new year, with the large open-air parties in Athens and Thessaloniki setting the pace.

Fireworks lit up the sky as crowds poured into streets and squares to celebrate the turn of the year, dance their hearts out, have fun, and wish that 2026 would bring health, joy, happiness, and everything that 2025 may have denied many.

After all, there were plenty of festive and free options for spending New Year’s Eve, even for those who didn’t choose one of the nightlife venues, which tend to fill to capacity on these days.

The Municipality of Athens welcomed 2026 with a dazzling celebration full of music, dance, and many surprises in Syntagma Square. At 10:00 p.m., the Athens Municipal Philharmonic Orchestra opened the evening, followed on stage by Kostis Maraveyas and Rena Morfi. Nikos Moutsinas and Tonia Sotiropoulou hosted the event, while a spectacular drone show stole the spotlight, turning the Athenian sky from night into day.

When the time came for the year to change, Athens Mayor Haris Doukas took to the stage in the square, offered his wishes for the new year, spoke of “the Athens that unites,” and together with the artists led the countdown to the arrival of 2026.

At exactly midnight, fireworks burst and illuminated the Attica sky, but as last year, most of them were silent so as not to disturb the four-legged “residents” of the capital. At the same time, hundreds of drones created a show of luminous designs in the sky, and at the end they even formed the face of Dionysis Savvopoulos, while two of his songs were performed on stage as a small tribute.

A New Year’s celebration filled with sparkle, joy, love, and unique concerts, with free admission, was organized by the Region of Attica at two locations in the basin: Pedion tou Areos and the Tritsis Metropolitan Park.

At Pedion tou Areos, Eleni Foureira, ZAF, and DJ Bobito energized the crowd in a night of lights, fireworks, loud music, and thousands of people welcoming 2026. At the Tritsis Metropolitan Park, one hour before the symbolic “first step” of 2026, Klavdia entertained the audience, joined by DJ Playmen.

The button for the traditional countdown was pressed by the Regional Governor of Attica, Nikos Hardalias, at Tritsis Park, where he was present with his family.

Immediately afterward, a spectacular drone show lit up the Attica sky with Christmas symbols and messages.

In Faliro, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center bid farewell to 2025 and welcomed 2026 with a big party. The Agora was filled with light, music, and cheer in a celebration for young and old alike that has now become a tradition. Host of the dazzling event was singer and actor Jerome Kaluta. The musical program was led by Alexandra Sieti with her seven-member band, while Sunshine Pedro took over the decks.

With an impressive laser show, countless fireworks, and to the sounds of world-famous DJs, Thessaloniki said goodbye to 2025 and welcomed 2026 against the backdrop of the White Tower.

From early on New Year’s Eve, the seafront was “flooded” with people who braved the biting cold.

In the first minutes of 2026, the White Tower was “bathed” in impressive lighting, offering images that immediately began to travel through the digital world of social media. The Municipality of Thessaloniki had long been planning the event “New Year’s Eve Thessaloniki / welcome 2026!”, aiming for spectators to dance until the early morning hours to the rhythms of contemporary electronic music.

“Thessaloniki is the most beautiful city in the country, and it suits her to always look upward. From here we send a smile of optimism. A city that celebrates today and sends the message: let us be stronger in the new year, and let no one feel alone. In this city, there is always someone thinking of another,” said Thessaloniki Mayor Stelios Angeloudis during the countdown to the New Year.

At the heart of the evening were two globally renowned names, Fideles and Gheist, with appearances at some of the world’s most iconic festivals and venues—from the Pyramids of Giza to the Brandenburg Gate—and with millions of sales and streams. The event was also supported by several of the most important DJs and producers with international careers and presence, such as Ison, Momery, Kiki Botonaki, and Dest, who “united” different audiences around a common denominator: the power of music and imagery.