Fancy having a week of parties and parades to enjoy on your next holiday? If so, fly to Athens for its annual carnival season in mid-February.

This event celebrates the culture of both Greece and its capital with a series of processions, performances, markets and more.

A diverse array of arts remain the focus of this event, with 2006 seeing bands and artists specialising in music from Greece and Asia Minor, as well as the Latino, pop and Greek new wave genres.

As you would expect for a carnival, the parades tend to be nothing less than spectacular, with participants dressing up in colourful costumes while marching and dancing through the streets of Athens.

To make this a family affair, children get their own series of events to enjoy, while both food and drink flow freely throughout.

And with Athens being a city imbued with a long, rich history, sightseers will find much to appreciate when the festivities are over.

For more information, see the City of Athens website.

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