Clean Monday at Stavros Niarchos Park
On Clean Monday, 23 February 2026, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre held the Koulouma on the Great Lawn — kite workshops, a musical feast led by Vasiliki Karakosta, and the traditional dances that open Lent.
Clean Monday at Stavros Niarchos Park is the annual Koulouma held on the Great Lawn of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre in Kallithea on the first day of Great Lent. The 2026 edition took place on 23 February, the opening of Great Lent and the close of the Apokries. The campus was completed by Renzo Piano in 2016 above Faliron Bay and is home to the Greek National Opera and the National Library of Greece.
The Koulouma — the traditional open-air feast that closes the carnival season and opens Lent — was held on the Great Lawn. The Dreaming Kites workshop began at half past eleven. The Heaven and Earth Feast followed from midday until three, with creative screen-printing alongside. The music was led by Vasiliki Karakosta, who brought together singers and players across generations and regions for a feast dedicated to the sky and the earth, drawing on the traditional music of Hellenism, with kites flown over the park.
The event was held free of charge, sustained by a donation from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. The 2025 edition fell on 3 March and was curated by the ethnomusicologist Lambros Liavas with Takim.