Festivals in Cyprus in September

September in Cyprus is harvest time and a period packed with events. The weather has turned cooler, making it the perfect time to find something to suit your taste. Any event in Cyprus is a celebration and a feast of delights. September is the time to ‘reap the harvest’ of festivals. If you’re visiting the island in September, be sure to take part in one of the many fun events where you can celebrate alongside the island’s residents. After all, Cypriots, like no one else, know how to enjoy life, despite any crises or hardships.

The Limassol Wine Festival

The most famous wine festival usually takes place between 28–30 August and 7–9 September. During this period, every evening from 7 pm, Limassol Municipal Park hosts festive events dedicated to winemaking. Major grape growers and winemakers bring their produce for tasting, and festival-goers have the chance not only to take part in the traditional grape-stomping, but also to listen to songs, watch performances by Cypriot artistic groups and sample the finest Cypriot wines.

Entry to the festival costs €6 per adult, including a bottle of wine. Events are also taking place throughout Limassol as part of the festival. For example, this year a vintage car parade will take place on Saturday (30 August).

During the festival, transport is provided from Nicosia, Larnaca and Paphos to Limassol. However, if you want to sample the most interesting wines from small wineries, you’d be better off visiting another wine festival – one that, whilst less well-known to the general public, is no less popular amongst experts….

Afamia in Cyprus

The Afamia Wine and Grape Festival takes place at the end of September in the village of Kylani, which is half an hour’s drive from Limassol. The festival is considered the second most important after the Limassol festival, yet connoisseurs prefer to visit this one.

The small village of Kylani (with a population of just around 300) is one of Cyprus’s wine-producing centres – several well-known wineries are located in and around the village, including Ayia Mavri, Vardalis, Erimoudes and others, whose wines have won both Cypriot and international awards on numerous occasions.

Kilani is well worth a visit just to wander through its narrow streets, admire the traditional red-tiled houses and have lunch in cosy tavernas. But festival time is a special period. By the end of September, it’s time for the local winemakers to relax: they’ve already been hard at work for several months, harvesting the grapes, making wine and testing the must in production almost hourly – the very must that will eventually become Cyprus’s finest wine. Now they can relax after those hectic days, enjoy traditional souvlaki and sweets, washing them down with wine and discussing the harvest with friends.

This festival has one distinctive feature: it isn’t held in a single location, but encompasses the entire village. Local farmers display their wares in the narrow streets. Here you’ll find everything to do with grapes (suzukos, palouze, grape jelly, cut into neat diamond shapes) and, of course, local wine and zivania. They say that prices during the festival are considerably lower than in shops, but to take advantage of this, you’ll need to learn at least a few Greek words to make yourself understood by the sellers.

On the day of the festival, the doors of all the wineries, art workshops, churches and museums in the village are thrown open. Anyone who wishes to can come and see how true handmade masterpieces are created by hard-working hands.

Nicosia Ice Cream Festival

The Nicosia festival is, of course, a treat for all those with a sweet tooth! In 2014, the festival is taking place during the first week of September and is organised by the major Cypriot company ‘Papafilippou’, which produces this frozen treat. According to various accounts, ice cream was first brought to Cyprus between 1922 and 1933. The company itself is known for its innovative developments; in particular, in 2011 it was awarded a prize for creating the first lactose-free ice cream in Europe and on the island.

Kypria Arts Festival

This international arts festival has been held in Cyprus since the early 1990s. The aim of the event is to give local residents and visitors to the island the opportunity to enjoy a cultural programme featuring a wide variety of performances, including those of the very highest standard.

The festival is organised under the auspices of the Cypriot Ministry of Education and Culture, which strives each year to present the event in a fresh light, emphasise its contemporary character, refresh its image and offer audiences new concepts and approaches to its organisation and staging.

Every year, the island welcomes the very best dancers, artists and actors, who, through their mastery, bring high art to the festival’s guests.

As part of the festival, events are held in all the cities – Nicosia, Paphos, Larnaca and Limassol.

Conclusion

All the festivals taking place in September in Cyprus are absolutely unique: the tourist season is almost over, the harvest has been gathered, and the locals are ready to relax and take part in a variety of events. It is at this time of year that you can immerse yourself in the traditional way of life and appreciate the national culture of the Cypriots. It’s particularly worth paying attention to the small village festivals dedicated, for example, to the making of palouza and soujoukos, or visiting wineries where you can see all the intricacies of the winemaking process. And there are still other autumn months to come, when Cyprus will be preparing zivania, harvesting olives and producing olive oil. But we’ve yet to explore these events. For now, let’s enjoy the bounty of the first month of autumn!

Find out more about all the latest events in Cyprus here