In Limassol
February – March – Each year in Limassol
February 28 : entrance of King Carnival in the Town
March 2 : Children’s Carnival Parade
March 8 : Serenaders’ Parade in the town centre
March 9 : The Grand Carnival parade of chariots and groups of people along Makarios III Avenue
Organised by the Lemesos Municipality, tel: 25 745919

in Pafos
February 28: entrance of King Carnival at the commercial centre of Pafos
March 8 :  The Carnival parade of chariots and groups of people along    Poseidonos Avenue, Kato Paphos
Organised by the Paphos Municipality, tel: 26 932014

Carnival in Cyprus means a nearly two-week period of celebrations with a focus on food, before the 50 days of Easter.
Festivities take place in various towns all over the island.

The first week is called the Meat Week (Kreatini), as it is the last week for eating meat before Easter, while the second is known as the cheese week (Tyrini). Carnival festivities usually begin on the Tsiknopefti day of Meat Week, gaining its name from the unmistakable aromas of the meat cooking.
Carnival parades and fancy-dress balls are very popular and take place in most towns. Limassol hosts the most famous celebration, while Larnaka and Paphos also offer impressive parades.

March each year

Green Monday marks the beginning of Lent and is celebrated in Paphos with a picnic and a kite-flying competition. Other towns and villages celebrate too.

The first Monday of Lent (50 days before Greek Orthodox Easter) is a Bank Holiday in Cyprus and Green Monday picnics are held all over the island. Families and friends gather for an outdoor vegetarian meal of bread, vegetables, and olives at the start of this Orthodox festival of fasting and contemplation. In Pafos, there is a kite-flying competition down by the lighthouse, where people of all ages fly home-made or locally purchased creations. During Lent, meat and dairy products are forbidden, so why not try some of the delicious Cypriot pastries: tahinopitta (with sweetened tahini paste inside), spanokopitta (spinach) and kolokopitta (pumpkin with raisin).
Events & activities: Cape Greco (Ayia Napa), Tekke Grove (Larnaca), Faros beach (Kato Pafos), Polis municipality beach (Polis)

Each year in Cyprus

The programme includes:
– painting and engraving exhibition, presentation of artists
– walk through hazelnut woods, children’s fair, traditional games and music performance.
– traditional local crafts, music and dances.
– music and dance theatre and a music performance.
– exhibition of arts and crafts made by local people and Cypriot and Greek music and songs.
– presentation of the ceramic art in Cyprus and use of the Cypriot ceramics, a music performance.

Cyprus’s wine capital Lemesos lives up to its reputation as a party town with a wine festival that it hosts every year.Held at the Municipal Gardens, just across from the coastal promenade, in late August, early September, this event has been a regular fixture since it was first launched in 1961.

The Wine Festival began as a tribute to the island’s long winemaking tradition, growing in size and variety over the years. Inspired by the ancient festivals dedicated to the God of Wine Dionysos and the Goddess of Beauty and Love Aphrodite, it combines fun and merrymaking with ample wine and food and a variety of performances from local and international artistic groups. Addressed to permanent residents as well as foreign guests, the Wine Festival offers an opportunity to sample different local wines from large and small wineries, and traditional Cypriot food.

Another popular crowd-puller is a traditional wine press. There is a small entrance fee, but once inside all the wine is free. The Festival’s trademark is the huge “Vraka Man” that towers over the entrance with the welcoming motto “Drink wine to be healthy”.