Saturday ––Jeff
The following article by Eleni Sampani appeared Thursday on the front page of Ekathimerini-- Greece's paper of record. It shared headlines with an article titled, "Brain drain exacting heavy economic toll" brought on when "427,000 young people of family-forming age left the country" because of their nation's financial crisis.
Greeks are resilient entrepreneurs who love their country. Many of the young Greeks I've spoken to who moved away, long to return. They miss the country and its way of life. But things change, and old ways take on the new. Here's just one example.
Gen Z moves the party to the bakery.
Over on downtown Athens’ Voulis Street, a small bakery smelling of butter and freshly baked bread is experiencing a second, unexpected incarnation. It’s midday and light streams through its big front windows, yet the vibe inside is more reminiscent of a club than a food outlet.
Like on a few other weekends, the people on this occasion are not here to grab a snack; they’re here to dance. Many are doing both, nibbling on a steaming croissant instead of sipping on a cold drink as they sway to the house beat that transforms the space into a dance floor. For a city renowned for its intense nightlife, the scene may seem a bit odd at first, but it is proof that Athenians like to party even when it isn’t dark.
“I’ve played at around four bakery house parties here at Neropistolo. I set up my gear behind the counter and started playing house in a completely unusual space, which soon started filling up with young people. Some came for my music, others because they heard that the bakery house party trend had come to Athens and others who came in to make a purchase and ended up staying for several hours, dancing,” says Chris Child, one of the city’s most popular and active DJs, known for sets packed with energy and a clubby vibe.
Bakery house parties are a relatively new trend that started in cities like London and Amsterdam, and made their way to Athens in the past year or so. They’re one of the most refreshing new forms of entertainment we’ve seen recently, small pop-up events that can transform a bakery, a cafe or some other such venue into a disco, without affecting their usual operating hours or compromising their cozy, everyday identity.
“Gen Zers don’t seem so keen on going out late or to clubs. They’re turned to soft clubbing, which is not only defined by early hours, but also by the absence of alcohol. The only thing you may see them drinking at a bakery house party is an Aperol, but overall, non-alcoholic events are attracting more and more people,” says Child.
“It’s different to going out at night and, in my opinion at least, better. It’s not lame at all; it’s proper fun and without the hangover the day after,” says 27-year-old Alexandra Papadopoulou, a fan of the genre.
She says a lot of young men and women of her generation are looking for new kinds of fun and new venues where they can hear the music they like without having to go to a club. “I work nights, so being able to go out early and listen to a particular kind of music is perfect, especially given that most midday parties – on the rare occasion that they happen – tend to play Greek music. You can also go to a place like Neropistolo for a chilled coffee and dance if the mood strikes you,” she adds.
A short walk from Voulis Street, on the corner of Aiolou and Agias Irinis, Lukumades – specializing in the traditional Greek, honey-soaked dough fritters – hosted its bakery house party a few weeks ago and the turnout defied all expectations. The bakery was packed and people were dancing among the tubs of dough and counters piled with fragrant loukoumades.
“The party started at noon and I had been wondering if anyone would show up so early in the day. But people did, and they seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves. Many of them had been out for a weekend stroll and just happened upon the party,” says DJ Pedrik, known for his feel-good house sets. For this particular event – which was organized in cooperation with the Primer Music Festival – he went full-on festive.
“Bakery house parties are not here to replace Athens’ nightlife; they’re here to complement it. It’s something different that offers a new, more relaxed form of entertainment, and I think it really suits the city’s vibe,” he adds.
The team behind the Lukumades chain had been keeping up with the rising global trend of bakery house parties on social media since they first started appearing around three years ago. The phenomenon gained more visibility when wildly popular DJs like Peggy Gou played at bakery parties in Paris, going viral on TikTok and Instagram. So the idea was being talked about before the trend came to Greece and the team now plans more parties this year.
City of bakeries
“People are sober so they’re paying a lot more attention to what you’re playing and they don’t feel obliged, in a way, to show so much energy. They’re basically there for the music,” says Moroccan DJ Tibes, who has played at several bakery house parties in Paris.
He says the trend is not really new in the French capital, but it really took off this year, especially during Paris Fashion Week. “You saw all these beautifully dressed people coming in and out of the small bakeries that are all over Paris’ central districts. Many told me how much they were enjoying being able to listen to house without having to wait in line to get in a club or spend €100-€150, which is what an outing of that kind runs to these days.”
––Jeff
Saturday––Jeff
The following story by Eleni Sampani appeared Thursday in Greece's Ekathimerini newspaper of record next to another front page story reporting of a "Brain drain exacting heavy economic toll" on Greece brought on by the nation's financial crisis when "427,000 young people of family-forming age left the country."
Greeks are a resilient people and its young are fiercely proud of their heritage, so much so that many of those I've spoken to who moved away, long to return. Those Gen Zers who do will find a country different in many ways from the one they left--not the least of which is in their generations' revelers' choice of party venues.
Gen Z moves the party to the bakeries.
Over on downtown Athens’ Voulis Street, a small bakery smelling of butter and freshly baked bread is experiencing a second, unexpected incarnation. It’s midday and light streams through its big front windows, yet the vibe inside is more reminiscent of a club than a food outlet.
Like on a few other weekends, the people on this occasion are not here to grab a snack; they’re here to dance. Many are doing both, nibbling on a steaming croissant instead of sipping on a cold drink as they sway to the house beat that transforms the space into a dance floor. For a city renowned for its intense nightlife, the scene may seem a bit odd at first, but it is proof that Athenians like to party even when it isn’t dark.
“I’ve played at around four bakery house parties here at Neropistolo. I set up my gear behind the counter and started playing house in a completely unusual space, which soon started filling up with young people. Some came for my music, others because they heard that the bakery house party trend had come to Athens and others who came in to make a purchase and ended up staying for several hours, dancing,” says Chris Child, one of the city’s most popular and active DJs, known for sets packed with energy and a clubby vibe.
Bakery house parties are a relatively new trend that started in cities like London and Amsterdam, and made their way to Athens in the past year or so. They’re one of the most refreshing new forms of entertainment we’ve seen recently, small pop-up events that can transform a bakery, a cafe or some other such venue into a disco, without affecting their usual operating hours or compromising their cozy, everyday identity.
“Gen Zers don’t seem so keen on going out late or to clubs. They’re turned to soft clubbing, which is not only defined by early hours, but also by the absence of alcohol. The only thing you may see them drinking at a bakery house party is an Aperol, but overall, non-alcoholic events are attracting more and more people,” says Child.
“It’s different to going out at night and, in my opinion at least, better. It’s not lame at all; it’s proper fun and without the hangover the day after,” says 27-year-old Alexandra Papadopoulou, a fan of the genre.
She says a lot of young men and women of her generation are looking for new kinds of fun and new venues where they can hear the music they like without having to go to a club. “I work nights, so being able to go out early and listen to a particular kind of music is perfect, especially given that most midday parties – on the rare occasion that they happen – tend to play Greek music. You can also go to a place like Neropistolo for a chilled coffee and dance if the mood strikes you,” she adds.
A short walk from Voulis Street, on the corner of Aiolou and Agias Irinis, Lukumades – specializing in the traditional Greek, honey-soaked dough fritters – hosted its bakery house party a few weeks ago and the turnout defied all expectations. The bakery was packed and people were dancing among the tubs of dough and counters piled with fragrant loukoumades.
“The party started at noon and I had been wondering if anyone would show up so early in the day. But people did, and they seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves. Many of them had been out for a weekend stroll and just happened upon the party,” says DJ Pedrik, known for his feel-good house sets. For this particular event – which was organized in cooperation with the Primer Music Festival – he went full-on festive.
“Bakery house parties are not here to replace Athens’ nightlife; they’re here to complement it. It’s something different that offers a new, more relaxed form of entertainment, and I think it really suits the city’s vibe,” he adds.
The team behind the Lukumades chain had been keeping up with the rising global trend of bakery house parties on social media since they first started appearing around three years ago. The phenomenon gained more visibility when wildly popular DJs like Peggy Gou played at bakery parties in Paris, going viral on TikTok and Instagram. So the idea was being talked about before the trend came to Greece and the team now plans more parties this year.
City of bakeries
“People are sober so they’re paying a lot more attention to what you’re playing and they don’t feel obliged, in a way, to show so much energy. They’re basically there for the music,” says Moroccan DJ Tibes, who has played at several bakery house parties in Paris.
He says the trend is not really new in the French capital, but it really took off this year, especially during Paris Fashion Week. “You saw all these beautifully dressed people coming in and out of the small bakeries that are all over Paris’ central districts. Many told me how much they were enjoying being able to listen to house without having to wait in line to get in a club or spend €100-€150, which is what an outing of that kind runs to these days.”
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