Forget security, join the party, Athens mayor tells Olympic

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Worried about security? High prices? Weak ticket sales? Athens is planning a major distraction for anyone suffering Olympic jitters.

Mayor Dora Bakoyianni detailed plans Monday to throw a citywide party every night of the Aug. 13-29 Games and on through the Paralympics in September.

More than 500 concerts and live performances will be held during the outdoor entertainment blitz, along with art exhibitions, acrobatic displays, puppet shows and acts from 34 countries.

"Athens will have a maximum level of security but, at the same time, life will continue," she said. "We will dance and we will sing from the squares, in our streets, along our walkways and we will relish the return of the Olympics to their home."

Artwork and sculptures will be displayed along a cobblestone walkway linking the Acropolis to the city's other main ancient sites.

And at 22 squares and gathering points, the lineup includes Dutch jazz players, dancers from Saudi Arabia, acrobats from South Korea and chefs handing out Polish pierogis, or dumplings.

She added: "Walking through Athens is a trip through history _ ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, right up till modern times."

Shows will be held in tourist areas such as the Plaka district under the Acropolis, but also in newly renovated areas of the capital, now serviced by better transport networks and with newly painted building fronts.

The euro4 million (US$4.8 million) party plans are part of the city's euro150 million (US$180 million) Olympic improvement scheme largely aimed at shaking off months of gloom caused by last-minute construction and international fears of a possible terrorist.

The problems have hurt holiday bookings by tourists -- a vital source of income for Greece -- and left more than half the Olympic tickets at the last count made a month before the games begin.

But Bakoyianni, who modeled the city celebrations on the those held in Sydney at the 2000 Olympics, said the games and Athens party program -- called "The city celebrates" -- will lure business conferences and visitors to the city.

The mayor said she could no longer confirm earlier city hall estimates that 1.5 million Olympic visitors will come to the city.

In total, the city's four-hour nightly parties will involve 600 artists and performers, shows will be seen on 13 stages to be set up around the city, and the works of 85 sculptors and artists will be on display. Attendance is free.

(dg/bm)