The SNFCC Christmas World came to life with a spectacular Lights Up Event

On Thursday, December 1, 2022, thousands of visitors of all ages witnessed the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) transform into a luminous holiday spot during a glamourous event that took place thanks to a grant by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). The festive illumination of the SNFCC has become an annual tradition for visitors who have been flocking, since 2017, to see the SNFCC Christmas World come to life.

On December 1, at 19:00, thousands of string lights, of a total length of 35 km, lit up on the 84 plane trees along the Canal, the three towering fir trees of the Agora were revealed in all their glamor, and the Dancing Fountains at the Canal took part in the spectacle, dancing to two Christmas classics, Bobby Helms’s Jingle Bell Rock and Michael Bublé’s Winter Wonderland. 

All this together made for a magical Christmas setting, which formed the backdrop to a grand celebration at the SNFCC Agora with the decorated Christmas trees tower, hosted by actress Nandia Kontogeorgi. First, the Children’s Chorus of the Greek National Opera, conducted by Konstantina Pitsiakou, opened the show with festive tunes. Next, American conductor, composer and artistic director of the Young People’s Chorus of New York Francisco J. Núñez, along with Marina Satti’s Chórεs accompanied by eight male voices and seven musicians, called upon the audience to sing along with them beloved Greek and foreign songs — Christmassy or not — making up one great festive choir.  

Timeless hits (Last Christmas, I’m Still Standing, Dancing Queen, Don’t Worry Be Happy, I Just Called to Say I Love You) and all-time Christmas classics (Feliz Navidad, Rocking Around the Christmas Tree, We Wish You a Merry Christmas) fired up the audience who sang and danced following the conductor's instructions.
It was a unique sing-along concert held in the context of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation - Lincoln Center (SNF-LC) Agora Initiative, a held in cooperation with New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, as part of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation-Lincoln Center Agora Initiative, a collaboration that reactivates public spaces through, among others, the “Twin Agoras” at the SNFCC and at Lincoln Center. The event was broadcast live on television (ERT), and live-streamed at the foyer of the David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, New York, as well as on the website, Facebook page and YouTube channel of the SNFCC & SNF. 

Also switched on during the event were the large scale Light Installations in the Stavros Niarchos Park: four by renowned foreign creators (Light Piano by Arion de Munck and Mark Ridder, Submergence by Squidsoup, Halo by Venividimultiplex, Light Holders by Jonas Vorwerk), and one Greek entry (Pompe by George Nikas and Eleni Maragaki) that was selected for the first time ever through an open call process. All of them together formed a spectacular atmosphere of light and sound that impressed young and old alike. The light installations are on daily, with free admission, from December 1, 2022 to January 8, 2023, from 5 pm to closing of the Stavros Niarchos Park. See more: https://www.thisisathens.org/acvb/industry-news-light-installations-stavros-niarchos-park-2022

December 1st marks the comeback of the Ice Rink at the SNFCC Canal, and aspiring figure skaters will once again practice on the ice against the sounds of beloved Christmas songs, while beginners have the opportunity to learn in a fairytale-like setting. This year, however, the beloved Christmas Ice Rink returns with a major change. As part of the SNFCC's environmental sustainability strategy, the Ice Rink facility uses synthetic ice, which has zero energy consumption and offers a different experience to all aspiring skaters. Situated by the north bank of the Canal, close to the Visitors Center, the Ice Rink provides lovers of this winter sport the chance to enjoy a magnificent insider’s view of the Dancing Fountains.The Ice Rink is open daily, from December 1, 2022 to January 31, 2023, from 10 am to 10 pm. Admission is free; online preregistration at SNFCC.org/Icerink2022.

Internationally recognized as a Green Building, the SNFCC is a global model of environmental sustainability and the first large-scale cultural project with a LEED Platinum certification in Europe. In the organization’s ongoing effort to reduce its environmental footprint, 100% of the power consumed comes from renewable energy sources, with about 24% being sourced from the 5,700 solar panels on top of the Energy Canopy. Although the SNFCC has been operating exemplarily in terms of energy consumption ever since its design and construction, in light of the current circumstances a number of additional measures have been implemented this year, such as the installation of an Ice Rink of synthetic ice and the limited, compared to previous years, duration of the lighting of the plane trees at the Canal — until 1 am Monday through Thursday and until 2 am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

In this year’s SNFCC Christmas World, every day of the month has in store a versatile program of Christmas events for guests, culminating in the spectacular New Year's Eve extravaganza! 
More information may be found on the website 
https://snfcc.org/en/Xmas2022 and on the social media pages @SNFCC. 

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The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) is a world renowned environmentally sustainable public space of expression, culture and recreation, as envisioned and implemented by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). Designed by Renzo Piano and the Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), it was handed over to the Greek State and its citizens in February 2017. It includes the National Library of Greece (NLG) and the Greek National Opera (GNO), as well as the Stavros Niarchos Park, one of the largest green spaces in Athens. In line with its initial commitment at the time of the project’s delivery, the SNF supported the SNFCC for the first five years of its operation (2017–2021), while in February 2022 it renewed its support, with a grant of a total of €10 million ($11.2 million), to cover the SNFCC's operating and programming costs for another year. 

Additional information about the SNFCC:
• Current hours of operation: 
Stavros Niarchos Park: daily 06.00–00.00
Central Lobby: daily 09.00–21.00
Visitors Center: daily 10.00–14.00 and 17.00–21.00
• Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the SNFCC premises: SNFCC-FREE-WIFI.
• The SNFCC has an indoor parking space for 1,000 vehicles. For more information and pricing, please visit SNFCC.org.
• All SNFCC spaces, including the parking area, are accessible to disabled persons and wheelchairs.
• Food & beverage facilities at the SNFCC can be found at the Agora, the Visitors Center, the Lighthouse, and Stavros Niarchos Park.
• At the 5th level of the GNO building you may find DELTA restaurant, awarded with two MICHELIN stars in the Athens Guide for 2022 and one MICHELIN Green Star for Sustainable Gastronomy.
• The SNFCC Store operates on SNFCC premises, featuring a wide and constantly renewed collection of utility and decorative objects.
• The SNFCC has won LEED Platinum certification as a Green Building, the highest possible distinction for environmentally friendly and sustainable buildings. The LEED program certifies that a building is designed and constructed on the basis of the principles of sustainable construction, using environmentally innovative practices aiming at energy saving, rational use of water, reduction of CO2 emissions, improvement of the quality of the internal environment, rational management of resources, and response to environmental impact. The SNFCC’s platinum certification is the first distinction of that level to be awarded to such a large-scale cultural project in Greece and Europe.