The first ever Renaissance Fair will take place on Saturday, October 21, 2023 in Pyrga, Larnaca District, according to a press release by the Laona Founation – the organisers.
It will take you on a journey back in time, recreating a local fair during the pilgrimage of Catherine Cornaro, last Queen of Cyprus, to the Latin royal chapel of Saint Catherine in Pyrga.
Costumed performers from Italy, San Marino, and Cyprus will entertain with songs, dances, story-telling and traditional poetry dating back to and inspired by the Cypriot and Italian Renaissance. The fair will include games and activities for the whole family, an outdoor market of local products and handicrafts, a walk around the venue to the historic monuments and Nature, and food and drinks from local businesses.
The fair is a cultural initiative for the countryside. It will offer not only spectacle, but also active participation, focusing on the European element of Cypriot history with all the effects it had and still has. The local community is actively participating in the event through the involvement of the Pyrga Elementary School, the Saint Barbara Regional Gymnasium, cultural groups and volunteers.
The fair is organised by the Laona Foundation, within the framework of the European project Beyond Cultural Tourism (Be.Cultour, Horizon 2020) in collaboration with the Community Council of Pyrga and the Larnaca and Famagusta Districts Development Agency (ANETEL). The event is under the auspices of the Consulate of San Marino in Cyprus.
Event information
Date: Saturday, October 21, 2023
Hours: 15:00 – 22:00
Venue: Central Square in Pyrga, Larnaca
Free entrance
Contact: 70007102, 22532811
Facebook, Instagram: Laona Foundation
Media Sponsors: Phileleftheros newspaper, in-cyprus
Supporters: the Cyprus Handicraft Service, the Dante Alighieri Society Cyprus and the association VAMOC
Artists and groups participating:
The historical and cultural associations:
La Corte di Olnano e La Compagnia dell’Istrice (San Marino)
Sbandieratori Delle Sette Contrade Di Orte (Italy)
Musicians: Peppe Frana (Italy, medieval lute), Elena Xyda (singing), Christina Polycarpou (Cretan lyra with sympathetic strings), Euripides Dikaios (percussions), Panagiotis Tsappis (ney), Andreas Siantanis (lute), Kyriakos Hatziandreou (guitar), Lefteris Giorgitsis (violin)
The community choirs of Pyrga and Pera Chorio Nisou
The Pyrga dance group
Storytelling – children’s theatre workshop: Idekanou Theatre (Elena Pavlidou, Nikoletta Verykiou)
Production team:
Production organisation and execution: Stephanie Polycarpou
Artistic consultant/researcher: Evripides Dikaios
Historical advisor: Dr. Dimitrios Minasidis
Technical director: Christos Christodoulou
Set and costume design: Konstantina Andreou, Iphigenia Abraham
Games design/execution: Rina Souki
Poster design: Katerina Siamma
