The Limassol Carnival Festival in Cyprus

The Limassol Carnival Festival is an annual event held in Limassol, Cyprus. The event is held 12 days before the start of Lent on the Sunday before Ash Monday, 50 days before the Orthodox Easter. The festival is a colourful 10-day event of people eating, singing, games, wearing costumes, and attending parties. The festival culminates with a large parade, which includes an array of floats traversing the city.

The Festival is also known as Karnavali Lemesou

Carnival has been celebrated in Cyprus for over a century, regardless of the political or economic conditions of the time. The epicentre of the Carnival in Cyprus is the seafront city of Limassol, the residents of which have a reputation for being the most fun-loving and sociable on the island. Carnival represents a ritual which on the eve of spring affords the opportunity for people to express their faith and optimism for a good year. The municipality conducts a minimum of five events which include an open-air event at Tepak Square. A children’s parade is rightly considered to be one of the key events of the carnival and is held on the first Sunday of the festive events. Children customarily dress up in carnival costumes and parade down the streets of Limassol.