August Full Moon: Open Monuments, Guided Tours and Cinema Under the Moonlight

The August full moon will light up the sky on Friday, August 28, offering, as it does every year, an opportunity for a different kind of nighttime experience at archaeological sites, monuments and museums across Greece.

Also known as the “Sturgeon Moon”, a name associated with the time of year when Indigenous peoples of North America traditionally fished intensively for the particular species, August’s full moon will once again be accompanied by the Ministry of Culture’s established program of events.

A total of 126 archaeological sites, historic sites, monuments and museums will open their doors to the public with free admission. Events will be held at 61 of them, while a further 65 sites will remain open until late in the evening, offering visitors the chance to explore them under the light of the full moon.

Πανσέληνος ΙουλίουThis year’s program includes events taking place during the final days of August, including theatrical performances, music and dance events, exhibitions and guided tours. Detailed information is available at culture.gov.gr.

August full moon at the National Archaeological Museum

Within this framework, the National Archaeological Museum will welcome the August full moon next Friday with themed guided tours led by the Museum’s archaeologists. Unique exhibits from the permanent and temporary exhibitions will be incorporated into special routes through the Museum’s galleries, while a separate walking tour will take visitors around the Museum’s iconic building.

At 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., Dr. Konstantinos Nikolentzos, Head of the Collections and Exhibitions Directorate at the National Archaeological Museum, will lead tours of the temporary exhibition “The Palace of Nestor at Pylos: A Mycenaean Kingdom Revealed.”

At 7:30 p.m., the Museum will host the “Historic Walk Around the National Archaeological Museum: The Adventurous Two-Century Story of a Place in the City.” The tour will be led by Konstantinos Paschalidis, an archaeologist with the Department of Prehistoric, Egyptian, Cypriot and Near Eastern Antiquities.

At 8 p.m., Argyrο Grigoraki, curator at the Department of Prehistoric, Egyptian, Cypriot and Near Eastern Antiquities, will lead a tour of the Egyptian Antiquities Collection. The theme of the tour is “The Mummies of the National Archaeological Museum.”

At 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., Dr. Evridiki Leka, an archaeologist with the Museum’s Communications Department, will lead tours of the temporary photography exhibition “The Great Inca Trail. Peru: Integration and Diversity.”

For all activities except the walking tour, advance online reservations are required via the Archaeological Museum’s website, while visitors must also create an account on the Museum’s digital services platform. On the same evening, admission to the Museum’s permanent and temporary exhibitions will be free after 7 p.m., while the exhibition galleries will remain open until 11 p.m.

August Full Moon at the Acropolis Museum

To mark the August Full Moon on Friday, August 28, 2026, the Acropolis Museum will extend its opening hours and remain continuously open from 9 a.m. until midnight, giving visitors the opportunity to explore its galleries and enjoy views of the Sacred Rock beneath the moonlit Attic sky.

Admission to the Museum will be at the regular general admission price, while the ticket offices and Museum Shops will close at 11:30 p.m.

In addition to the permanent collections, visitors will be able to explore the temporary exhibition Inspiration. Ancient Greek Art in Italy with free admission. The exhibition has been extended through September 6 and features 38 ceramic, bronze and marble masterpieces—unique works that have travelled outside Italy’s museums for the first time.

The exhibition focuses on the influence, reception and transmission of ancient Greek art in Italy, from the Iron Age through the 20th century.

On Friday, August 28, at 6 p.m., visitors will also be able to join a guided tour of the temporary exhibition led by a Museum archaeologist. The tour will last 45 minutes, with a maximum of 30 visitors per session. Advance online registration is required.

Finally, on Friday, August 28, the “Excavation Museum” will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., with last admission at 7:30 p.m.

August Full Moon at the Epigraphic Museum: Free Admission and Buster Keaton

The Epigraphic Museum (1 Tositsa Street, Athens) will also take part in the celebrations. On Friday, from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., the Museum’s archaeologists will lead small-group tours of its permanent exhibition.

Reservations are required and can be made exclusively by telephone from August 24 through August 27, between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.

At 9 p.m., the Museum’s interior garden will host a screening of the silent film “The General”, starring and directed by Buster Keaton. The screening will be accompanied by piano and live electronics performed by pianist Stathis Anninos.

Full Moon Film Marathon with Stanley Kubrick

On Friday, August 28, beneath the light of the Sturgeon Moon, the Full Moon Film Marathon returns to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), paying cinematic tribute to Stanley Kubrick, one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, whose work remains both timeless and strikingly contemporary.

At the Stavros Niarchos Park’s Great Lawn, and as always with free admission, film lovers will have the opportunity to watch four of Kubrick’s iconic films in succession:

• Dr. Strangelove
• 2001: A Space Odyssey
• A Clockwork Orange
• The Shining

“Moonlit Melodies” at the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus

The Ephorate of Antiquities of Piraeus and Islands, together with the Association “Friends of the Archaeological Museum and Archaeological Sites and Monuments of Piraeus,” will host a musical event titled “Moonlit Melodies” on Friday, August 28, 2026, at 9 p.m., at the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus, next to the Ancient Theatre of Zea.

Visitors are asked to arrive from 8:30 p.m.

Beneath the light of the August full moon, the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus will be transformed into a setting for music and dreams. The “AENAON” String Quartet of the Athens State Orchestra and mezzo-soprano Ioanna Forti will present an evening of lyrical music, bringing together compositions by Giacomo Puccini, Samuel Barber, Franz Schubert, Ottorino Respighi and Claude Debussy with beloved Greek songs, according to the organizers.

Performers: Giorgos Mandyllas and Vassilis Soukas on violin, Antilochos Tranos on viola, and Asterios Pouftis on cello.

Admission is free. Visitors should arrive at the event venue by 8:30 p.m. Please note that the Museum’s indoor exhibition galleries will not be open to visitors during the event.