Six weeks of exploring the ins and outs of Larnaka have led up to this: Needle 2024 has announced its entire festival lineup.
On Saturday 11 May, Larnaka 2030 will open Needle’s festival doors at Zouhouri Square from 15:00 until late to celebrate Larnaka’s cultural heritage and look towards the future of artistic creation on the island.
Expect the exclusive premiere of brand new artistic works at Needle 2024’s free festival, back-to-back performances, installations, digital artworks, and non-stop live music & DJ sets.
Opening the festival is DJ Flawd, laying a downtempo electronic backdrop, and dervish whirl dancer Dervish Zeybek, before resident performing artist Nona Michael unveils her installation “Muhavere” based on Karagiozis’ shadow-puppet tradition of Zouhouri Square.
Following is Larnaca-based poet m.ouv’s intimate poetry and looped soundscapes, before resident artist Kasska unveils her work created during Needle’s residency using lo-fi beats and her Cypriot rap lyricism inspired by the island’s boundless sky. Singer-songwriter Hayat Sebep will also showcase her latest piano-based works created during Needle’s residency inspired by Larnaka’s Salt Lake and incorporating natural sound recordings, before resident artist Panagiotis Mina presents his sonic experimentations based on the disappearing coastlines of Kition.
The smallest Creature will then perform their collection of alternative rock tunes before internationally renowned multi-award winners Monsieur Doumani turn the festivities up a notch and DJ Cotsios o Pikatillis throws a party on the festival dance floor, all against the Needle stage backdrop made of reused materials by resident architect Michalakis Georgiou and visual light projections designed by resident digital artist Charis Avraam.
For six weeks, Needle’s resident artists have been exploring the very soul of Larnaka, diving into the city’s history.
Envisioned as a harmonious convergence of inspiration and fresh talents from Larnaca and Famagusta, the artists underwent a programme of research, brainstorming, and guidance by guest artists and cultural experts, while a series of parallel events entitled Needle & Thread Talks invited the public in conversation with the artists.
In partnership with the Phivos Stavrides Foundation, Larnaka Cultural Foundation, Youth Maker Space, and Hot Soap Studios, the resident artists aim to have Zouhouri Square burst into a kaleidoscope of innovative artistry and music that reimagines Larnaka’s cultural identity and highlights the “need [for] all” to unite through culture. Initiated by young arts-lover Giorgos Antoniou, “Needle is a social and artistic experiment that aims to tackle the cultural identity crisis faced on the island by embracing and exploring our cultural heritage.”
Programme
15:00 – 17:00
DJ Flawd: Downtempo beats mixed into dancefloor feel-good vibes
15:00 – 21:30
Brainstorming Board: Imagining the island’s cultural future together with the UNFICYP
17:30 – 17:45
Dervish: Captivating blends of dervish dance forms with contemporary motions
18:00 – 18:15 and 19:45 – 20:00
Nona Michael – Muhavere: Impressions of shadow puppetry from Zouhouri Square’s past
18:30 – 19:05
m.ouv: Piano loops interwoven with vocal melodies and spoken-word poetry
19:15 – 19:50
Kasska: Lo-fi beats mixed with the essence of the Cypriot language and soul
20:00 – 20:45
Hayat Sebep: Piano-based whimsical tales interlacing soundscapes from nature
21:00 – 21:35
Panayiotis Mina: Guitar-driven sonic experiments inspired by Kition’s disappearing coastlines
21:45 – 22:30
The smallest Creature: Pop-driven tunes entwined into a grunge rock attitude
22:45 – 00:00
Monsieur Doumani: A danceable fever storm of stringed instruments, multi-layered singing and trombone-driven low end.
00:00 – 01:00
DJ Cotsios O Pikatillis: Big beats and eclectic dance tunes to celebrate Needle’s closing with a bang
