This weekend marks the unofficial beginning of the festive season as it is when Christmas villages and markets make their grand opening. Sandwiched in between the festive events are book festivals, recitals, exhibitions and charity bazaars. Here’s what not to miss.
Christmas villages
On Saturday all eight of the official Christmas Villages of the deputy ministry of tourism will open. Agros, Deryneia, Fikardou, Kakopetria, Kalopanagiotis, Kyperounta, Lefkara and Statos-Ayios Fotios will each host festive events, ceremonies and performances as they introduce the 2025-2026 Christmas agenda. This weekend, expect opening ceremonies with parades, live bands and music and the wooden huts opening to serve warm drinks and bites and display handmade gift products. Be sure to check out each village’s programme as multiple events are taking place this weekend and well into the New Year.
But it’s not just the ministry organising them. SanTa Lefkara also inaugurates its festive village and calendar this Saturday with a ceremony at 4.30pm. A parade with majorettes, Santa Claus, carols, mascots, acrobatic dancers, a tree lighting ceremony and more will kick off a season full of events.
Paralimni also marks the start of the festive season with a Sunday event at Ayiou Georgiou Square. The afternoon agenda, starting at 3.30pm, includes a parade with the Emilia Salouta Cheerleaders and performances by the Dançando School of Dance, Christmas Carols by the Paralimni Youth Choir, children’s workshops and a concert by Greek popstar Andromachi.
Music
Larnaca music lovers can enjoy two very different concerts. The Cyprus Symphony Orchestra presents its Premiere 3 concert with soloists Sorin Alexandru Horlea on violin, Simeon Spasov on oboe and Constantinos Anastasiades on violin, under the direction of conductor Paul Goodwin at the Municipal Theatre G Lycourgos on Thursday night.
On Saturday, Savino Live will present a very unique music project, which is also a parallel event of Larnaca Biennale 2025. The Stournari Street Band connects the city with artists and the Greek music scene across the ages. Nikos Bardis on electric guitar (Diafana Krina), Antonis Nomikos on percussion (The Absorbus Machine) and Giorgos Laggouretos on vocals, acoustic guitar (Magic De Spell, Ypothesi X) will present a programme of beloved songs.
Art
Opening on Thursday and continuing until next summer is a new temporary exhibition at AG Leventis Gallery. The Christoforos Savva: Simple – Complicated – Invisible: An Unknown Archive showcases material that sheds new light on the artist’s creative process and reveals hidden aspects of his oeuvre. Artworks, sketches, studies, photographs and personal notes from one of the pioneering figures in Modern Cypriot Art (1924-1968) will be on display.
In Larnaca, the final creative workshop of The Art of Together educational programme is on on Saturday at the Municipal Market of Larnaca. Titled the Box of Metamorphosis, this workshop will get children to explore imagination through the power of objects.
Through play, collaboration and storytelling, they create small stage scenes, transforming everyday items into magical elements, while fostering creativity and freedom of expression. At the end, the six-week-long programme will create a mini exhibition of the children’s creations at the Market.
Fairs, festivals and markets
From Friday onwards, Kolossi Park transforms into a Christmas wonderland as it hosts the Santa Park Fest. The three-day event will spread festive family moments with games for all, a meet and greet with Santa, food and drink stalls and live performances.
On Saturday, the Grand Antiques & Vintage Market will send visitors on a trip to the past as vendors present hand-picked treasures from bygone eras. Taking over the New Strovolos Town Hall Square Gardens from 10am to 5pm, a variety of sellers will display timeless pieces and vintage accessories. Find retro décor, vinyl records, jewellery, art, curiosities and vintage fashion. Meanwhile, local food stalls and music add to the day’s cheerful note.
Also on Saturday, from 11am to 6pm, is Nicosia Dog Shelter’s Charity Christmas Bazaar. Festive ornaments and décor, second-hand and new items, books, clothes and kitchen items will be on sale at low prices as the shelter raises funds for its four-legged friends.
All weekend long, the 4th Limassol International Book Fair will unfold at Lanitis Carob Mills. A massive market with book sellers, bookmakers and more will be on alongside a rich programme of presentations, talks, readings and business meetings. For one weekend, Limassol becomes the centre of the book industry as the island’s professionals meet with leading figures and businesses from Europe and the Arab world.
Also in a bookish mood is the Bibliocosmos Children’s Christmas Bookfair on Sunday in Paphos. Τhe Ariadne Suite of Annabelle Hotel will host the event, which presents a wide selection of English children’s books. Browse Christmas book titles, children’s Christmas products, fiction, non-fiction and activity books and fill the weekend with stories and fairy tales.
Premiere 3
Cyprus Symphony Orchestra concert with Sorin Alexandru Horlea on violin, Simeon Spasov on oboe, Constantinos Anastasiades on violin and conductor Paul Goodwin. November 20. Municipal Theatre G. Lycourgos, Larnaca. 8.30pm. €13-18. Tel: 22-463144. www.cyso.org.cy
Stournari Street
Live music project by Bardis (Diafana Krina), Antonis Nomikos (The Absorbus Machine) and Giorgos Laggouretos (Magic De Spell, Ypothesi X). Parallel event of Larnaca Biennale 2025. November 21. Savino Live, Larnaca. 9.30pm-11.30pm. €10. www.biennalelarnaca.com/event/stournari-street
Christoforos Savva: Simple – Complicated – Invisible: An Unknown Archive
Exhibition with never-seen-before artworks and archival material of the artist. Curated by the late-Eleni S. Nikita, Katerina Stephanides and Despina Christofidou. Assistant Curator: Styliana Ioannidou. November 20-June 28. A. G. Leventis Gallery, Nicosia. Opening night: 7pm. www.leventisgallery.org. Tel: 22-668838
The Art of Together – Box of Metamorphosis
Last children’s workshop. Educational workshop by Theodora Andreou. Parallel event of Larnaca Biennale 2025. November 22. Municipal Market of Larnaca. 9am-11am. www.biennalelarnaca.com/event/the-art-of-together/2025-11-22
Santa Park Fest
Christmas festival. November 21-23. Kolossi Park, Limassol district. Friday: 6pm-11pm. Saturday-Sunday:10am-10pm (9pm on Sunday). www.facebook.com/parkokolossiou
Grand Antiques & Vintage Market
Vintage market with retro décor, vinyl records, jewelry, art, curiosities, and more. November 22. New Strovolos Town Hall Square Gardens, Nicosia. 10am – 5pm. Free
Nicosia Dog Shelter’s Charity Christmas Bazaar
Market with Christmas ornaments, second-hand items, clothes books and more. November 22. 13 Prince Charles St, Nicosia.11am-6pm
4th Limassol International Book Fair
Annual book fair and conference for book lovers and industry professionals. November 21-23. Lanitis Carob Mills, Limassol. www.limassolbookfair.com
Bibliocosmos Children’s Christmas Bookfair
Children’s book titles in English. November 23. Annabelle Hotel, Paphos. 10am-5pm
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