Piraeus to turn Christmas shopping into a street festival with ‘Red Night’

On 22 December, the streets of the port city will fill up with mascots, elf trains and Brass melodies

Buying Christmas gifts can be extremely stressful with shops overflowing with people, clamouring for discounted items and fussing over the right gifts for their loved ones. But imagine if you can turn buying gifts into an open street festival for locals and visitors, with that special Christmas spirit flowing onto the open streets.

This is exactly what authorities in the municipality of Piraeus in Greece were thinking when they decided to set up the so-called Red Night (Κόκκινη Νύχτα). On the eve of 22 December, the port city will transform into one big event, with mascots, entertainers on stilts, elf trains brass band to top it all off.

A strong dose of Christmas spirit

The key feature of the Red Night in Piraeus will be that shops will be allowed to stay open from 10 AM to midnight, while citizens themselves are encouraged to wear red when they flood the streets. This is, according to an official statement, the high point of Christmas celebrations in the city, as organized by the municipality.

From the early afternoon, the procession will be coloured by stilt walkers, mascots, magicians, elves and Santa Clauses, putting young and old in the Christmas spirit. This includes a local football club, the Olympiakos’ mascot who will take pictures and hand out gifts to children.

City streets will also be home to a miniature Christmas from 5 PM and people can board and get off at any time, zooming through the crowds.

Later in the evening, people will be able to hear the Christmas Brass Band of Naughty Elves & Santa Girls. The performance will star the "scandalous elves" and six dancers’ costumes to give Christmas the soundtrack it deserves. The evening will end with the RED NIGHT PARTY in Korai square with Dj Babis Vassilopoulos.