Satirical floats to bring laughter and colour to Limassol carnival parade

Limassol municipality said on Saturday it will take part in the city’s big carnival parade with three floats satirising the recent election battle, the glacial progress of the country’s gas exploitation efforts, and Limassol’s perceived superiority over the other cities in Cyprus.

The floats and figures were on Saturday receiving their finishing touches before the Sunday parade, with the Limassol municipal council hoping to see more satirical floats.

The election-themed float will feature a boxing ring where president-elect Nikos Christodoulides, alongside presidential candidates Andreas Mavroyiannis and Averof Neophytou, are sparring for the win.

“In this particular float, we are satirising the political ring that we experienced during this long pre-election period, with the three main candidates fighting big battles,” set designer and Studio8 director Andreas Mavrogenis, who oversaw the construction of the float, said.

The figures of the three candidates can be seen smiling, dressed in colourful sportswear and boxing gloves, sporting blackened eyes, abrasions and bruises on their faces, while the winner of the election battle, Christodoulides is presented with a crown and the number 1 on his shirt.

In addition, Andreas Mavroyiannis carries a star while Averof Neophytou is marked with the number 3.

The Limassol municipality’s second satirical float, also by Studio8, satirises Cyprus’ natural gas exploitation efforts and the time-consuming process of extracting the natural wealth.

The float features a turtle with colourful hair and carrying a gas cylinder on its back while the tank ironically reads Express Delivery.

The satirical float is a tradition for the Limassol carnival and cannot be absent from such events, Mavrogenis explained, adding that, after a difficult period with the pandemic and two years without a big carnival parade, “the world needs laughter and colour”.

Skenotechniki was responsible for the third and final satirical float, in which Limassol bears the form of a queen’s head wearing a mask, with lice in her long blonde hair, each of which bears the name of the other cities of the island.

Sunday’s big carnival parade will begin at 1pm at the Ayios Nicolaos roundabout and end at the Polemidia traffic lights, also featuring other satirical floats built on behalf of the various carnival groups participating in the event.