Christmas festivities at cosy Prozak Kafeneio

Live music, art and pop-ups at the popular venue. By ELENI PHILIPPOU

One could easily visit Nicosia’s centre without exploring the gems that are the local cafes and bars that reside just a few metres outside its Venetian walls. Nicosia locals though know very well the quaint spots of the city and what they do best. One makes good coffee, another makes strong brandy sours. Down Medondos Street, just off the always busy Stasinou Avenue is Prozak café-bar open only in the afternoon and evening. It’s big selling point? Cosiness.

Besides serving its signature brandy sour cocktail in the summer and mulled wine in the winter, Prozak often hosts cultural events to bring artists, creatives, locals and visitors together. Exhibitions, open mic nights, live music, poetry evenings and book presentations are some of the happenings that the café-bar hosts. This December many more events are planned as Prozak opens the Common Room, a space right next to the café-bar which aims to host cultural happenings.

Common Room launches with an exhibition by Charitini Kyriakou titled Creature. The event opened on December 7, and the exhibition will remain open until December 14 featuring mixed media on paper and acrylic on wood or canvas. As a painter, poet, and musician, Charitini has participated in numerous group exhibitions and hosted several solo showcases as well. Her Creature work is dominated by anthropomorphic figures in a poetic and expressionistic setting. Some perform paradoxical behaviours, and have multiple limbs and striking patterns.

On Monday 12, the Sung Mellowtrio will return to Prozak, the café-bar and not its next-door space, to perform mainly ballads from the jazz repertoire, as well as blues and folk songs. They consist of three exceptional and established musicians of the Cypriot music scene, Andreas Panteli on piano, Ermis Michail on guitar and Lefteris Moumtzis on vocals. Their set begins at 8.30pm and a €6 surcharge will be included on each first drink.

Then from December 13 to 18, another solo exhibition will take place at Prozak Kafeneio featuring Katerina Soukourogliou’s Greetings from Cyprus collection. The exhibition includes several ‘I Love Cyprus’ souvenir items from wine openers and ashtrays to nail cutters and pillowcases. Through them, the exhibition seeks to discover the ways in which Cyprus can be reimagined and transformed and offer more peculiar ways of seeing it.

Continuing the happenings at the Common Room is a Christmas market on December 16, 17 and 18. Eleven artists will display their work from 4pm to 9pm every day, which range from ceramics, big and tiny illustrations, handmade dolls and ornaments, crazy accessories, handmade candles and original art amongst other items. And while the market is on, band Chelsea Hotel will perform a live set at the café-bar on Saturday 17 playing international songs from the 60s and beyond.

Soon after, another evening of live music will fill Prozak with melodies. On December 19, Evagoras Karagiorgis, Cleo Papadia and Alexia Yiagkou will bring their laouto, piano and violoncello instruments to present a musical performance dressed in old aromas, poetry and songs from the theatre scene.

Adding a bit of colour to Prozak is a one-day exhibition by Chiakkili who on Tuesday 20 will present concrete plant pots on the upper floor of the café-bar. On the following day, Common Room hosts another exhibition, the first solo showcase of street artist Twenty Three which will present old and new pieces of various techniques until December 30.

While the exhibition takes place next door, Prozak will host more music nights. On Thursday 22, musician Lefteris Moumtzis honours his annual tradition of performing solo at Prozak every December and so after a UK tour, he will play an intimate set at the Nicosia bar. The final event planned at Prozak, for the time being, is another live performance just a few days before the year ends. On Tuesday 27, Paulina Konstantopoulou and Andreas Papapetrou will perform popular and beloved Greek songs at 8.30pm. It is surely going to be an eventful December for Nicosians. Take your pick and mark your calendars!

December events at Prozak 

Exhibitions, a Christmas market and live music nights. Throughout December. Prozak Kafeneio and the Common Room, Nicosia. Tel: 22-104244 

Creature

Solo exhibition by Charitini Kyriakou. Until December 14. Common Room, Prozak, Nicosia. Daily: 4pm-10pm. Saturday: 9.30am-1.30pm and 4pm-10pm. Tel: 22-104244

Sung Mellow

Trio performs jazz, blues and folk. December 12. Prozak Kafeneio, Nicosia. 8.30pm. €6. Tel: 22-104244

Greetings from Cyprus

Solo exhibition by Katerina Soukourogliou. December 13-18. Prozak Kafeneio, Nicosia. Opening night: 6pm-10pm. Daily: 4pm-11pm. Tel: 22-104244

Christmas Market

With 11 local artists. December 16-18. Common Room, Prozak, Nicosia. 4pm-9pm. Tel: 22-104244

Chelsea Hotel

Live music. December 17. Prozak Kafeneio, Nicosia. 8.30pm. €6. Tel: 22-104244

Jasmine Aromas

Live music with three musicians. December 19. Prozak Kafeneio, Nicosia. 8.15pm. €6. Tel: 22-104244

Chiakkili

Presentation of concrete plant pots by Chiakkili. December 20. Prozak Kafeneio, Nicosia. Tel: 22-104244

Around the Walls

First solo exhibition of street artist Twenty Three. December 21-30. Common Room, Prozak, Nicosia. Opening night: 6pm. Tel: 22-104244

Lefteris Moumtzis

Live solo music set. December 22. Prozak Kafeneio, Nicosia. 8.30pm. €6. Tel: 22-104244. Paulina Konstantopoulou and Andreas Papapetrou. Live Greek music. December 27. Prozak Kafeneio, Nicosia. 8.30pm. €6. Tel: 22-104244