Gazi

Four suspects arrested on Saturday in a police raid targeting organized crime were charged with possession of weapons and explosives on Saturday. 

She had come to Athens in her teens and found a scene to suit her tastes in scruffy-but-trendy Gazi district. She styled herself as a punk and, with her cropped hair and soft features, could have passed for a beautiful boy playing at being a girl, or vice versa. As a kid, growing up in Bulgaria, she had a thing for toy soldiers.

Environment Minister Kostis Hatzidakis (center) is seen with Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis (left) just before a bicycle ride organized by the Central Union of Greek Municipalities (KEDE) to coincide with World Bicycle Day on Wednesday. Hatzidakis announced the creation of two new bicycle lanes in Athens with a total length of about 25 kilometers, which will be financed by the Green Fund.

Grammy Award-winning New Zealand singer and actress Kimbra, whose mix of pop, classic R&B, jazz and rock has earned her a global following, is coming to the Gazarte venue in the downtown Gazi district, where she will perform a selection of numbers from her most recent album, "Primal Heart," as well as older songs.

The Technopolis cultural complex in the downtown Gazi district is celebrating its 20th birthday with a big party, aptly called "It's 1999 Again," featuring local acts that helped establish the venue as one of the capital's most popular performing songs from that era.

In its 10th year, Djangofest will feature nine bands and five dance groups in a celebration of gypsy jazz music inspired by 20th-century Belgian Jean "Django" Reinhardt at the Technopolis complex in Athens' Gazi district. "Django" Reinhardt traveled through Europe performing solo and in a quintet during the World War II era.

Billed as the "Greek Underground Revolution," the inaugural Urban Athens Festival promises fans of psychedelic rock and thrash metal a real treat from July 3 to 6. Twenty-four local acts are slated to perform at the Piraeus 117 Academy and Technopolis, both in the downtown Gazi district. The lineup includes the Acid Death, Septic Flesh, Nightstalker and many more.

This year's Technopolis Jazz Festival at the City of Athens's cultural complex in the downtown Gazi district features 21 bands, including acts from around Greece, as well as Belgium, the UK, Portugal, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, among others. Doors open daily at 5 p.m. and close at midnight, and admission is free of charge.

As part of its Musical Journeys series, the Athens Municipal Orchestra teams up with cellist Marina Kolovou for a concert dedicated to great Italian classical composers including Rossini, Puccini and Verdi, among others. The concert at the Technopolis cultural complex in the downtown Gazi district starts at 8.30 p.m. and is free of charge.

Whether you're contemplating switching to a meat-free diet or are already a vegetarian and want to stop using animal products altogether, the Vegan Life Festival in central Athens this weekend might be a good place to start.