Apokries and Clean Monday 2027: Dates, Tsiknopempti and Kites
Carnival season in Greece follows the Orthodox Easter calendar. Here are the 2027 dates, the grilled-meat Thursday, kite flying on Filopappou Hill and the big carnivals worth a trip.
In 2027, Clean Monday (Kathara Deftera) falls on 15 March and is a public holiday across Greece. The three-week carnival season (Apokries) leading up to it starts on 21 February, with Tsiknopempti, the meat-grilling Thursday, on 4 March. Patras holds its main carnival parade on Sunday 14 March 2027.
All of these dates move every year because they are counted back from Orthodox Easter, which in 2027 is on Sunday 2 May. Clean Monday is always 48 days before Easter and marks the start of Great Lent.
When is carnival season in 2027?
| Day | 2027 date | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Start of the Triodion | Sunday 21 February | Carnival period opens; the first parties and costume events |
| Tsiknopempti | Thursday 4 March | Grilled meat at home and in tavernas |
| Meatfare Sunday | Sunday 7 March | Last day for meat before Lent, by tradition |
| Last carnival Sunday | Sunday 14 March | Main parades, including Patras and Xanthi |
| Clean Monday | Monday 15 March | Public holiday; kites, picnics and fasting food |
| Orthodox Easter | Sunday 2 May | End of Lent |
Holy Week and the Easter weekend have their own customs, covered in our guide to Orthodox Easter in Athens.
Note that 25 March, Independence Day, is a separate public holiday that falls ten days after Clean Monday in 2027. Our page on Greek public holidays in 2027 lists all of them.
What is Tsiknopempti?
Tsiknopempti, on Thursday 4 March 2027, takes its name from tsikna, the smell of grilled meat. It falls in the second week of carnival, the last full week when meat is eaten before the Lenten fast. Families grill souvlaki, chops and sausages at home, and tavernas are full, so book a table if you want to eat out. In central Athens, Plaka and Psyrri get busy with costumed people and street music in the evening.
Smoke from balcony grills is part of the day. If you have laundry outside, take it in.
How does Athens celebrate carnival?
Athens has no single giant parade like Patras. Celebrations are spread across the city:
- children in costumes, especially on weekends, with parties at schools and cultural centres;
- street events and music in Plaka, Psyrri and other central areas, often organised by the City of Athens and announced in February;
- neighbourhood carnival parades in some suburbs and municipalities of Attica;
- adults in costume at bars and parties on the last carnival weekend.
Check the City of Athens and the city’s tourism site This is Athens in February for the 2027 programme.
What happens on Clean Monday in Athens?
Clean Monday is a day outdoors. The best-known custom in Athens is kite flying on Filopappou Hill, opposite the Acropolis, where families picnic and fly kites from late morning. Other popular spots are the Pnyx, Lycabettus, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation park and open spaces in the suburbs. The City of Athens and other municipalities often organise free events with music and traditional food. Keep kites well away from power lines and roads.
The meal follows fasting rules: no meat, dairy or eggs. The table usually includes:
- lagana, a flat bread with sesame seeds baked only for this day, sold at every bakery (expect queues in the morning);
- taramosalata, a fish roe dip;
- olives, pickles, raw vegetables and beans;
- seafood without blood, such as octopus, squid, shrimp and mussels;
- halva, a sesame or semolina sweet.
What is closed on Clean Monday?
Clean Monday is a national public holiday. Public services, banks and most shops are closed. Bakeries, kiosks and many grocery shops open in the morning for lagana and fasting food, and cafes and tavernas open. Public transport runs on a holiday timetable. Archaeological sites have their own holiday hours, so check the official site of the place you plan to visit. Many Athenians leave the city for the long weekend, so roads out of Attica are busy on Friday afternoon and Monday evening.
Is it worth a trip to the Patras or Xanthi carnival?
Patras holds the biggest carnival in Greece, about 210 km west of Athens (around 2.5 hours by car or KTEL bus, or by suburban train and bus). The main parade on the last Sunday, 14 March 2027, has thousands of people in costume groups and decorated floats, and the carnival ends that night with the burning of the carnival king at the harbour. Accommodation fills up months ahead.
Xanthi, in Thrace in the far north-east, runs the Thracian Folk Feast, with traditional costumes and music from the region’s communities as well as a parade. It is a long trip from Athens, best done by plane to Kavala or by a combined bus or train journey, and it suits people who want folklore rather than a party.
Smaller towns have local customs too, such as the Galaxidi flour war on Clean Monday, when people throw coloured flour at each other in the harbour.
Bottom line
Buy your lagana early on Clean Monday morning or order it from your bakery the day before. For Patras, book a room as soon as you decide, and for Filopappou, arrive by late morning before the best spots on the hill are taken.
FAQ
Is Clean Monday a public holiday in Greece?
Yes. It is a national public holiday, so offices, banks and most shops close. In 2027 it falls on Monday 15 March.
Why do the dates change every year?
The carnival and Clean Monday are counted back from Orthodox Easter, which is calculated with the Julian calendar method. Clean Monday is always 48 days before Easter Sunday.
Do you have to fast on Clean Monday?
No. Fasting is a religious custom, and restaurants serve the usual menu as well as fasting dishes. Most people still enjoy the traditional Clean Monday foods.
Where can I buy a kite in Athens?
Kiosks, toy shops and street sellers near Filopappou sell kites in the days before Clean Monday. Prices depend on size and material.
