Cyprus Events & Festivals 2026 — Music, Food & Culture

Cyprus Events & Festivals 2026Festivals and events across Cyprus month by month: Kataklysmos, wine and beer festivals, open-air opera at Kourion, village harvest fairs, Easter traditions and more — 19 dated events plus 25 recurring annual festivals.

Annual festivals & traditions in Cyprus, month by monthRecurring events that happen every year — we list the usual month; confirm exact dates with the organiser before travelling.

Epiphany · Blessing of the Waters (Ta Fota) — Larnaca, usually January, free. On Epiphany, 6 January, a priest throws a cross into the sea and young swimmers dive into the winter water to retrieve it for luck. Larnaca's ceremony on the Finikoudes seafront is the island's best known, drawing a crowd despite the cold. It is a short, moving piece of living Orthodox tradition and free to watch — every coastal town holds its own version on the same day.

Limassol Carnival — Limassol, usually February, free. Cyprus's biggest and oldest carnival, running for well over a century, fills Limassol with fancy dress, satirical floats and serpentine-throwing crowds for ten days before Lent. The Grand Parade on the final Sunday is the highlight — arrive early, as the route gets genuinely packed and parking is a battle. Dates shift each year with Orthodox Easter, so check before travelling.

Limassol Marathon — Limassol, usually February. Cyprus's biggest running weekend, held on a flat, fast course along the Limassol seafront in the cool of late winter. Alongside the full marathon there are half, 10K, 5K and family races, so it draws everyone from club athletes to first-timers. Runners pay an entry fee, but watching from the promenade is free and the atmosphere is genuinely lively.

Logicom Cyprus Marathon — Paphos, usually March. A long-running spring marathon along the Paphos coast, with shorter distances alongside the main race. The scenic route near the sea and the mild March weather make it popular with visiting runners from northern Europe. Registration fees apply for participants; spectating around the harbour costs nothing.

Green Monday (Kathara Deftera) — Island-wide, usually March, free. The first day of Orthodox Lent is a public holiday that Cypriots spend outdoors, flying kites and picnicking on Lenten food — olives, tahini, flatbreads, seafood and fresh greens. It is a tradition rather than an organised festival, but visit any park or open hillside and you will see the sky full of kites. The date moves each year with Orthodox Easter, usually landing in late February or March.

Procession of Saint Lazarus — Larnaca, usually April, free. Eight days before Orthodox Easter, the icon of Saint Lazarus — Larnaca's patron saint, whose tomb lies beneath the ninth-century church that bears his name — is carried in procession through the town's streets. It is a solemn, atmospheric occasion rather than a party, and one of the most authentic religious traditions a visitor can respectfully observe. Dates follow the Orthodox calendar, so check the year's Easter.

Lambratzia · Easter Saturday Bonfires — Island-wide, usually April, free. On Orthodox Easter Saturday night, communities across Cyprus build towering bonfires — the lambratzia — lit around the midnight Resurrection service, often with an effigy of Judas on top. It is a communal, slightly wild spectacle best experienced in a village churchyard, and completely free. Orthodox Easter usually falls in April or early May, so the date moves each year.

Anthestiria Flower Festival — Limassol, usually May, free. A spring flower parade with roots in the ancient festivals of Dionysus, revived in Limassol in the early twentieth century. Floats decorated entirely in fresh blooms roll along the seafront, with schools and community groups taking part. It is a short, gentle affair rather than an all-day event — lovely if you are already in town, charming rather than spectacular.

Agros Rose Festival — Agros, usually May, free. Agros is famous for its Damascena roses, harvested each May to make rosewater, and the village celebrates with a weekend of music, dancing and stalls selling rose products of every kind. It is a small mountain village, so expect a homely community fete rather than a big production — that is rather the point. Combine it with a Troodos drive for a proper day out.

Reflect Festival — Limassol, usually May. The largest technology and startup festival between Europe and the Middle East, drawing founders, investors and speakers to Limassol for two intensive days of talks and networking. It reflects the city's growing tech scene and has a noticeably international crowd. Tickets are aimed at professionals, so it is one for the work-and-travel visitor rather than the beach holidaymaker.

Street Life Festival — Limassol, usually May, free. Limassol's biggest street party takes over Saripolou and Athinon streets in the old town for a day each spring, usually in early May. Street artists paint live murals, skaters and BMX riders take over pop-up ramps, and an artists' market and DJ sets run alongside food stalls. It is free and high-energy — family-friendly by day, a proper party after dark. Check the exact date each year as it shifts.

International Pharos Chamber Music Festival — Nicosia & Kouklia, usually June. The Pharos Arts Foundation brings world-class chamber musicians to Cyprus each early summer, with concerts in the intimate Shoe Factory in old Nicosia and the atmospheric medieval Royal Manor House at Kouklia near Paphos. The playing is of a genuinely international standard and the settings are special. Audiences are small by design, so book tickets ahead.

Dionysia Festival, Stroumbi — Stroumbi, usually August, free. The wine-making village of Stroumbi in the Paphos hills throws its Dionysia festival in late August, with local wine flowing, traditional dancing and Cypriot food in the village square. It is one of the older village wine festivals on the island and keeps a properly local feel. Evenings are the time to go; a designated driver is a sensible idea on the winding roads.

Lemesos International Documentary Festival — Limassol, usually August. Held each August at the atmospheric Lanitis Carob Mill beside Limassol Castle, this well-regarded festival screens some of the year's most striking documentaries from around the world, all with Greek and English subtitles. Tickets are only a couple of euros, and the old-town setting makes an easy evening of it. One for film lovers after something beyond the beach.

Xarkis Festival — Troodos villages (roaming), usually August. A nomadic, participatory arts festival that sets up in a different rural Cypriot village each year — past hosts include Lofou, Koilani, Lympia, Agros and Kornos. Over a long weekend the village fills with workshops, exhibitions, live music, film and performances made with the local community. It is a warm, creative antidote to the resort scene; the location and dates change annually, so check the year's programme.

Kypria International Festival — Island-wide, usually September. The Republic's flagship state-backed arts festival, staged every autumn since the early 1990s with theatre, dance, classical music and contemporary performance spread across the main cities. Programming mixes international touring productions with Cypriot work, and quality varies year to year with the line-up. Tickets are generally reasonably priced, and some events are free.

Cyprus Comic Con — Nicosia, usually September. The island's home-grown pop culture convention, running annually since the mid-2010s with cosplay contests, artist alley, gaming zones and comic vendors. It is smaller and friendlier than the giant international cons, which makes it easy to actually see everything in a day. Tickets are modestly priced and the cosplay standard is impressively high for a small island.

Anogyra Pastelli Festival — Anogyra, usually September, free. Anogyra is the heartland of pastelli — the chewy traditional sweet made from carob syrup — and each September the village celebrates its carob heritage with demonstrations, tastings, music and stalls. It is a small, genuine village affair, and a good excuse to visit the carob museum while you are there. Come hungry and leave with a bag of pastelli.

Ayia Napa International Festival — Ayia Napa, usually September, free. For the last weekend of September, the square around Ayia Napa's medieval monastery hosts free open-air concerts, folk-dance troupes from around the world, craft demonstrations and food stalls. Running since the mid-1980s and timed to World Tourism Day, it is a genuinely local, family-friendly celebration that shows the resort town's quieter cultural side once the summer party crowd has thinned.

Ayia Napa Medieval Festival — Ayia Napa, usually October, free. Each autumn the square around Ayia Napa's Venetian-era monastery hosts knights, jugglers, medieval music and street theatre, with performing troupes invited from around Europe. It lands after the summer crowds have thinned, which makes the town far more pleasant. Free to wander, and genuinely good fun with children in tow.

Kyperounta Apple Festival — Kyperounta, usually October, free. One of the highest villages in the Troodos, Kyperounta is apple country, and its October festival marks the harvest with apple products, local food, music and folk dancing. The mountain air is noticeably crisp by then, so bring a layer. Like most Cypriot village festivals it is short and homely — an afternoon's stop on a Troodos loop rather than a destination in itself.

Cyprus Rally — Limassol, usually October, free. One of the older events on the international rally calendar, run since 1970 on the winding gravel roads of the Troodos mountains above Limassol, usually in October. Watching from the roadside stages is free, and the sight and sound of rally cars sliding through the pine forest is a real thrill for petrolheads. Stages and dates are published in advance — follow the marshals and arrive early for the best spots.

International Short Film Festival of Cyprus — Limassol, usually October. The island's official short-film competition, staged each October at Limassol's elegant Rialto Theatre and a partner of the European Film Academy. A week of fiction, animation, documentary and experimental shorts from Cyprus and around the world screens to a genuinely engaged audience, ending with an awards night. Tickets are modest, and it is a great window into new filmmaking talent.

Larnaka International Marathon — Larnaca, usually November. Larnaca's flat, scenic road race runs along the Finikoudes seafront and past the salt lake, usually in November when the weather is ideal for running. Alongside the full and half marathon there are 10K, 5K and fun-run distances, so it suits club runners and families alike. Entrants pay a fee, but cheering from the promenade is free and the seafront atmosphere is lovely.

Troodos Christmas Villages — Troodos villages, usually December, free. From late November to early January, Troodos mountain villages dress up for Christmas. Kakopetria's cobbled 'Rock Christmas Village' is the best known, with lit stone lanes, live music, workshops, local sweets and a visiting Santa, and villages like Agros, Kalopanayiotis, Fikardou and Lefkara join in. It is free to wander, wonderfully atmospheric with wood-smoke in the cold air, and a completely different side of Cyprus from the summer coast.