A guide to July’s biggest festivals
Afrobanana Festival: July 4-7
Returning for the second year to its new location in Lefkara village is Afrobanana Festival, taking place this summer on July 4-7. Over four packed days, the festival will welcome internationally acclaimed bands and DJs from Cyprus and beyond to perform across three stages. Afro, funk, electro, jazz, Latin, techno, psych folk, house and world music will sound at the hilltops of Lefkara while the village will also host installations and art corners. The festival’s 2024 activities will nurture mind and body – think green, build communities and engage visitors with art. There will be workshops for all ages, a Forest School for children, ANIMAFEST screenings and to wrap up, a closing celebration will bring people together for a long table feast.
Loud Music Festival: July 4-7
On the same weekend, LMF will bring party vibes to Limassol’s ETKO venue featuring 50 talented DJs and performing artists. Among street food stands and specially-curated grounds, each day will feature different music genres. Day one will host live performances from artists, day two will have RNB sounds, day three will kick things up a notch with EDM (electronic dance music) and day four will play Old Skool 80s, 90s and 00s music.
Halloumi Festival in Drousia: July 5
Head to Drousia for a taste of traditional cheese and milk at the village’s 3rd Halloumi Festival. This festival will be a single-night occasion dedicated to the region’s modern and traditional production of dairy products, including its most famous export – halloumi. The festival will take place in the stadium of the Elementary School, where visitors will find many opportunities to sample the famous cheese. The entertainment for the evening will be singer Nikos Markopoulos who will perform his greatest hits live.
Info: 99 405691
Cyprus Rialto World Music Festival: July 6-19
Returning for the 19th year with six exceptional concerts in July is the Cyprus Rialto World Music Festival. Following the Rialto Residency in Platres in the first week of the month, a series of concerts will take place at Heroes Square in Limassol. First up will be Nama Dama and Terlikkas & Fuzz Buss on July 10. Then on July 12 Michalis and Petros Kouloumis along with 10 other musicians will share the results of the Residency while on the following evening, Usurum will perform songs from their newly-released album. A highlight for many will be July 17’s concert as Greek pop star Marina Satti takes the stage. Finally, Krúe, a new collaboration between Nikolas Tsangaris and Vassilis Philippou, will close off the festival on July 19.
www.cyprusrialtoworldmusic.com
Platres Lavender Festival: July 7
The quaint mountainous village of Platres will host its annual Lavender Festival on Sunday, July 7, inviting visitors to plant lavender and taste gastronomic delights inspired by the fragrant herb. Visitors will be able to see and smell the lavenders, which are now in full bloom. Platres is known for its abundant English lavender, the most fragrant variety of the plant, which is said to produce the best essential oil. Forest Park Hotel will serve lavender ice cream, the Platres Chocolate Workshop will have lavender chocolates, Petit Palais Hotel will infuse the herb into loukoumades while Orosimo will have lavender tea and lavender chocolate crepes. Stalls with lavender-based products will also be set up selling beauty items, herbal products, cosmetics and all sorts of goods made with the herb.
10th Protaras Summer Film Festival: July 10-28
Movie nights by the sea will once again happen in Protaras’ main avenue as Paralimni Youth organises the 10th Protaras Summer Film Festival. Lefkola Square will fill with cinephiles from July 10 to 28, popcorn stands and a big screen as 25 blockbuster films are screened. Bringing together visitors, tourists and families, the film selection (which was recently announced) includes international films, Greek productions and popular animation films.
www.protarassummerfilmfestival.com
Watermelon Festival: July 12
The village of Frenaros will celebrate a popular summer fruit – the watermelon. The 15th Watermelon Festival will take place on July 12 at the village’s community stadium. Frenaros is famous for its excellent watermelons, and many of the region’s producers will attend the event, selling the big red, juicy fruit in its various forms. Desserts, cocktails and food will be for sale for visitors while a music programme will be presented by Stelios Dionysiou, Agne Kaloumenou, Filippos Ktenas and Elena Andreou.
Windcraft Music Fest: July 13-14
Windcraft Music Fest is turning ten this summer and is preparing a packed agenda of concerts with wind instruments and more. Blending tradition and modernity, the festival’s performances will bring a mixture of acoustic and electronic sounds, powerful Balkan and techno brass. Apart from evening performances, free workshops will be offered touching on music, tsiattista, pithkiavli making and activities for children. Yoga sessions, village walks and a literary corner will entertain visitors. All set at the usually-quiet village of Katydata.
27th Cultural Festival of the University of Cyprus: Until July 13
Enriching Nicosia’s nightlife every summer is the Cultural Festival of the University of Cyprus which brings remarkable performances to Axiothea Mansion. Poetry, music, song and theatre productions are on from local and international artists and ensembles. Performances have been on since early June when the 27th edition began and four more evenings remain in July along with a two-day experiential workshop for dancers, actors, educators and dance therapists. The festival’s first July performance, on July 2, will be the concert European Winds, featuring music professors and students from six universities in Greece, Italy and Portugal.
International Festival of Ancient Greek Drama: July 19-August 10
Four productions from different theatre companies in Romania and Greece will take part in this year’s festival presenting contemporary approaches to renowned ancient Greek drama. For about a month, audiences will be able to enjoy these striking performances at some of the island’s most stunning theatre venues – the Ancient Odeon in Paphos, the Makarios III Amphitheatre in Nicosia and the Curium Ancient Theatre in Limassol. Romania’s Tony Bulandra Theatre presents the Euripidean tragedy, Orestes, directed by Yiannis Paraskevopoulos, the National Theatre of Northern Greece will present Plutus by Aristophanes, the National Theatre of Greece will bring Aeschylus’ Oresteia to life as well as The Bacchae by Euripides.
MedFest – Limassol Beer Festival: July 23-27
For five days, the parking lot of My Mall Limassol will fill with beer stands, street food vendors and a live music stage to celebrate the 2024 edition of MedFest. Serving a large variety of ice-cold beers – both draft and bottled – the festival features over 35 beer producers and makers while on stage, some of the biggest names from the Cypriot and Greek music scene will perform live. The music line-up has yet to be announced yet it is expected to gather lovers of Greek music every night. What a month!