🍩 Athens Doughnut Day 2025: A Festival of Regener

On October 14th, the Municipal Market of Kypseli pulsed with life, color, and purpose, although the event took place during a general strike, against the 13hour new work law. From early morning until late evening, the historic market transformed into a vibrant hub of imagination and action, celebrating Global Doughnut Day with a full-day festival organised by Doughnut Economics Greece.

The event marked a powerful convergence of community, creativity, and systems change. It wasn’t just about theory—it was Doughnut Economics in motion.

🌱 Morning: Planting Seeds of Change

At 10:00, the Future Shapers’ Zone welcomed local schoolchildren into a world of playful learning. Through interactive games and storytelling, young minds explored the principles of the Doughnut—how societies can thrive within ecological boundaries while ensuring social foundations. Laughter echoed as children imagined futures where people and planet flourish together.

Nearby, the Thriving Athens Canvas invited everyone to contribute their vision of a flourishing city. Sticky notes, sketches, and heartfelt messages layered the board with dreams: “Clean air for all,” “Homes not hotels,” “Green roofs and community gardens.” It became a living mosaic of hope.

🎲 Midday: Games, Talks, and Hands-On Learning

By 11:00, the Beehive Collective had set up a corner where their open-designed board game, The Change, made circularity and regenerative design accessible—and fun. Participants of all ages gathered around tables, strategising how to build resilient neighbourhoods or reduce waste through collaborative play.

🔧 Afternoon: Repairing, Reimagining, Regenerating

From 13:30 to 17:30, the Fix-It-Forward Repair Café took over. Volunteers from Epanekkinisis helped attendees revive old laptops, while BalkBikes tuned up bicycles and Poppy Anastouli led a hands-on clothing repair station. People learned, shared tools, and resisted throwaway culture together.

It wasn’t just about fixing things—it was about mending relationships with material goods, with each other, and with the planet.

🛍️ Evening: Showcasing the Doughnut in Action

At 18:00, the exhibition opened with local businesses, cooperatives, and grassroots projects showcasing practical ways to live within the Doughnut. From inclusive housing initiatives to energy communities and fish fertilizers, each stall offered a glimpse into a regenerative economy already taking root. Τhe initiatives who were present were:

cohab, waterkeepers, incommon, recual, sophie’s lemonade, Trophy Lab, Attica Energy Community, the high mountains.

🗣️ Closing Circle: Collective Reflection

As the sun set, the festival culminated in an open fishbowl discussion. Attendees gathered in a circle, sharing reflections, questions, and commitments. Voices intertwined, all contributing to a shared narrative of possibility.

Dissemination activities were carried out before, during, and after the Global Donut Day event in the Kypseli Market, Athens, Greece, to ensure broad visibility, engagement, and community impact. These included 

1. the setup and management of email and social media accounts in Meta and LinkedIn 
2. the design of the Greek Network logo
3. targeted outreach through printed posters placed in the nearby coffee shops and other stores, 
4. welcoming banners in the entrances of the Kypseli Market together with conference posters explaining the Doughnut Economics in theory and in practice, 
5. more than 30 posts, reels and stories were created and posted in Doughnut Greek Network social media channels, while email invitations were sent out
6. real-time communication during the event with people passing by, 
7. post-event sharing of outcomes and key messages across various online channels, including a video https://fb.watch/D1zdVpqWlF/ 

All digital and print materials were developed according to the Guidelines from the deal platform and can be shared if requested. Links can be found below. 

In terms of impact, overall more than 100 people were reached in person and more than 10.000 in our online channels.