Paradise Jazz Festival returns to Gialia for its 26th edition

Gialia, Cyprus. The 26th Paradise Jazz Festival will take place at Val’s Place in Gialia, Paphos, on August 21 and 22, featuring local and international musicians, contemporary dance and late-night jam sessions.

First evening

Four events are scheduled for the first night. Marios Nicolaou, principal timpanist of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, will perform two works with jazz influences and one classical percussion work.

Dion Berardo & Alexis Kasinos Group will present original jazz compositions.

The programme will also include Nothing by Stylish Junkies, choreographed by Milena Ugren Koulas. The piece was created by Koulas in 2008 for the Cyprus Choreographic Platform, where she performed it herself. It was reimagined in 2025 for dancer Magda Argyridou, who will perform it at the festival.

Elizabeth Simonian & Friends, a project assembled by George Koulas, will bring together five musicians for a performance focused on groove, storytelling and connection. A jam session involving musicians appearing during both festival nights will conclude the evening.

Second evening

The second night will begin with a 40-minute English-language seminar by radio producer and cultural administrator Akis Farmakalides on the life, sound and legacy of jazz musician Miles Davis.

The music programme will continue with Unity, a recent project by Cypriot pianist and composer Christos Yerolatsitis. The band includes Toms Rudzinskis on saxophone, Stelios Xydias on drums, Cahit Kutrafali on electric bass and Yerolatsitis on keyboards.

Pianist and composer Dafni Koulas will perform two original instrumental compositions on piano. Gabriela Kozyra will then present Sounds of Brazil, a collaboration combining Brazilian rhythms, Mediterranean melodies and a jazz background with local musicians.

The festival will close with an improvised jam session involving all participating musicians.

Further information is available at www.paradisejazzfestival.com.