Cyprus needs carnival fun ‘more than ever’ says Limassol mayor

Cyprus needs the Limassol carnival this year “perhaps more than ever before”, mayor Nicos Nicolaides said on Tuesday as he presented the upcoming carnival events, albeit somewhat cut back.

The famous Limassol carnival parade will not take place for the second consecutive year due to Covid-19, but that a variety of events will take place for 11 days starting Thursday.

At the same time on Tuesday, Nicolaides presented the new carnival queen Vera Efthimiou Parlalidou, who was described as the “good witch of fairy tales that will banish coronavirus forever”.

The queen will be officially presented to the public on Thursday, Tsiknopempti (Stinky Thursday) at a special performance at the Pattihio municipal theatre. The event will be broadcast live online.

This year, people need a break from the daily burden of life as well as some joy and positivity which “only the Limassol carnival can offer, just like it has been doing for the last 100 years and more”, Nicolaides said.

Limassol, for yet another year, “shakes up the rhythms of our everyday life and invites us all to put aside our worries, concerns and problems and live moments of joy and carefreeness,” he added.

The new queen wished that “after two years of suffering with the coronavirus, the people will have the opportunity to have some fun this year, even if with limited events”.

Participation in the various events is possible with the free pre-booking of a seat through www.tickethour.com.cy. All the events of this year’s carnival have been posted on the municipality’s website, https://www.limassolmunicipal.com.cy/el/program-limassol-carnival.