MOC x Athens City Festival present: Flare The Square
Posted posted on May 30, 2023
Flare The Square 2023 | The Day Athens Went Full Skateboarding
Dear skateboarding,
Thank you for every scar, every friendship, every late-night session, every busted deck, every impossible idea that somehow became reality.
Thank you for painting our lives with moments we'll carry forever.
May 20th, 2023 wasn't just another contest.
It wasn't just another event.
It became one of those days people will still be talking about years from now. A day when skateboarding completely took over the heart of Athens.
Along with the Vans, Ministry Of Concrete transformed Kotzia Square into something nobody had ever seen before. Not a skatepark. Not a demo.
A full-scale concrete playground built for destruction.
Nobody Knew What Was Coming
Early Saturday morning, long before the city had finished its first coffee, the Ministry crew rolled into Kotzia Square with trucks full of steel, plywood and oversized obstacles.
Truth is...We didn't even know exactly what we were building.
Most of the concept had only come together a few days before the event. The ideas kept evolving until the very last minute.
Then everything started taking shape: Massive kickers. A huge ledge. And finally...
The Rat Mobile.
A beaten-up Citroën Xsara, rebuilt into a full-on skate obstacle. Reinforced from bumper to bumper. Rail on the hood. Ledges. Manual pad. Wall ride panels. Every inch of the car was designed to get destroyed by skateboard wheels.
Exactly how it deserved.
Backside Challenge
After the warm-up, things got serious.
The first challenge attacked the rear section of the Rat Mobile, combining the back fender with kickers and ledges to create endless lines and technical combinations.
Every rider found a different way to skate the setup.
Panos Loupis, Thanasis Arampoulis and Dakisand many more turned a wrecked family sedan into one of the most creative skate spots Athens has ever seen.
The crowd instantly understood this wasn't going to be an ordinary contest.
Front Seat Challenge
Next stop. The hood rail. Simple idea. Endless possibilities.
Every attempt pushed things further. Bigger pop. More commitment. Harder slams.
Every make echoed across Kotzia Square.
The Girls Took Over
Then came one of the biggest highlights of the day.
The women's challenges.
Raw determination. Pure style. No holding back.
The level completely exceeded everyone's expectations.
What stood out wasn't only the tricks. It was the energy. The support between the skaters. The constant cheering after every slam and every make.
That's what skateboarding is supposed to look like.
Hip To Hip
As the afternoon rolled in, the course changed once again.
The Rat Mobile became the centerpiece of a brand new Hip to Hip Challenge, forcing riders to rethink every line.
The session kept escalating.
Everyone thought the day had already peaked.
It hadn't.
Not even close.
Over The Car
Just before the awards ceremony, Alex looked around, gathered the build crew and said the words nobody expected.
"Let's now do something too bif to forget."
Within minutes, another massive kicker appeared. The mission?
Jump the entire Rat Mobile.
Most people laughed.
Until the first attempt cleared the car.
Then everything exploded.
One rider after another started flying over the Xsara.
Heavy slams.
Huge commitment.
Clean landings.
Pure chaos.
Exactly how skateboarding should be.
The Battle
The final showdown belonged to two riders.
Thanasis Arampoulis stomped an incredible hardflip over the car.
Moments later...
Yiannis Katsaounos answered with one of the cleanest kickflips we've ever witnessed.
Bolts.
Caught.
Rolled away.
Kotzia Square erupted.
One of those tricks that instantly becomes part of local skate history.
More Than A Contest
Flare The Square wasn't about trophies.
It wasn't about rankings.
It wasn't about prize money.
It was about proving what happens when an entire skate community builds something together.
Friends.
Families.
Children.
OGs.
Skateboarders.
People who had never watched skateboarding before.
For one day, Athens spoke the same language.
And that language was skateboarding.
This Is Only The Beginning
Flare The Square became more than an event.
It became a tradition.
To every rider who skated.
To every volunteer.
To every photographer, filmer, builder and supporter.
To Vans, Milokleftis, Lagunitas and Glo.
To everyone who stood under the Athens sun and became part of this story...
MOC x Athens City Festival present: Flare The Square
Flare The Square 2023 | The Day Athens Went Full Skateboarding
Dear skateboarding,
Thank you for every scar, every friendship, every late-night session, every busted deck, every impossible idea that somehow became reality.
Thank you for painting our lives with moments we'll carry forever.
May 20th, 2023 wasn't just another contest.
It wasn't just another event.
It became one of those days people will still be talking about years from now. A day when skateboarding completely took over the heart of Athens.
Along with the Vans, Ministry Of Concrete transformed Kotzia Square into something nobody had ever seen before. Not a skatepark. Not a demo.
A full-scale concrete playground built for destruction.
Nobody Knew What Was Coming
Early Saturday morning, long before the city had finished its first coffee, the Ministry crew rolled into Kotzia Square with trucks full of steel, plywood and oversized obstacles.
Truth is...We didn't even know exactly what we were building.
Most of the concept had only come together a few days before the event. The ideas kept evolving until the very last minute.
Then everything started taking shape: Massive kickers. A huge ledge. And finally...
The Rat Mobile.
A beaten-up Citroën Xsara, rebuilt into a full-on skate obstacle. Reinforced from bumper to bumper. Rail on the hood. Ledges. Manual pad. Wall ride panels. Every inch of the car was designed to get destroyed by skateboard wheels.
Exactly how it deserved.
Backside Challenge
After the warm-up, things got serious.
The first challenge attacked the rear section of the Rat Mobile, combining the back fender with kickers and ledges to create endless lines and technical combinations.
Every rider found a different way to skate the setup.
Panos Loupis, Thanasis Arampoulis and Dakis and many more turned a wrecked family sedan into one of the most creative skate spots Athens has ever seen.
The crowd instantly understood this wasn't going to be an ordinary contest.
Front Seat Challenge
Next stop. The hood rail. Simple idea. Endless possibilities.
Every attempt pushed things further. Bigger pop. More commitment. Harder slams.
Every make echoed across Kotzia Square.
The Girls Took Over
Then came one of the biggest highlights of the day.
The women's challenges.
Raw determination. Pure style. No holding back.
The level completely exceeded everyone's expectations.
What stood out wasn't only the tricks. It was the energy. The support between the skaters. The constant cheering after every slam and every make.
That's what skateboarding is supposed to look like.
Hip To Hip
As the afternoon rolled in, the course changed once again.
The Rat Mobile became the centerpiece of a brand new Hip to Hip Challenge, forcing riders to rethink every line.
The session kept escalating.
Everyone thought the day had already peaked.
It hadn't.
Not even close.
Over The Car
Just before the awards ceremony, Alex looked around, gathered the build crew and said the words nobody expected.
"Let's now do something too bif to forget."
Within minutes, another massive kicker appeared. The mission?
Jump the entire Rat Mobile.
Most people laughed.
Until the first attempt cleared the car.
Then everything exploded.
One rider after another started flying over the Xsara.
Heavy slams.
Huge commitment.
Clean landings.
Pure chaos.
Exactly how skateboarding should be.
The Battle
The final showdown belonged to two riders.
Thanasis Arampoulis stomped an incredible hardflip over the car.
Moments later...
Yiannis Katsaounos answered with one of the cleanest kickflips we've ever witnessed.
Bolts.
Caught.
Rolled away.
Kotzia Square erupted.
One of those tricks that instantly becomes part of local skate history.
More Than A Contest
Flare The Square wasn't about trophies.
It wasn't about rankings.
It wasn't about prize money.
It was about proving what happens when an entire skate community builds something together.
Friends.
Families.
Children.
OGs.
Skateboarders.
People who had never watched skateboarding before.
For one day, Athens spoke the same language.
And that language was skateboarding.
This Is Only The Beginning
Flare The Square became more than an event.
It became a tradition.
To every rider who skated.
To every volunteer.
To every photographer, filmer, builder and supporter.
To Vans, Milokleftis, Lagunitas and Glo.
To everyone who stood under the Athens sun and became part of this story...
Thank you.
We'll see you at the next one.
Bigger.
Louder.
Crazier.
Athens Rats