Limassol is set to host what Mayor Nikos Nicolaides anticipates to be “the most impressive carnival of all times” this year.
The announcement was made on Monday evening during the unveiling of the 11-day event schedule that kicks off on Ash Wednesday and wraps up on March 17.
The programme reveal was a celebration in itself, featuring performances by the “Ariones” choir and dances by former carnival royalty, alongside City Council members, municipal officials, and guests, all contributing to the vibrant atmosphere.
“Following the remarkable comeback of last year’s carnival after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Limassol Carnival is poised to make history once again,” Nicolaides remarked, expressing confidence in this year’s edition surpassing previous ones.
Special thanks were extended to the event’s sponsors and the 2023 Carnival King, Dimitris Giannakou. Giannakou is set to pass on his crown to the new Queen, Christiana Charalambous, dubbed “the Queen of Limassol, the jewel of the Mediterranean,” in a ceremony scheduled for Thursday.
While official festivities commence on Ash Wednesday, the carnival spirit will be ignited earlier on March 6 at 19:30 at the “Theomaria” art hall with the 17th carnival mask exhibition, themed “Carnival is colour! Colour to life! Colour in art!”
The carnival festivities will truly kick off at 11:00 on Thursday, with music and treats outside the Hellenic Bank on Gladstonos Street and the Bank of Cyprus on Ayios Andreou Street. The day will be highlighted by the coronation ceremony of the new Carnival Queen at Grigoris Afxentiou Square, leading into an evening filled with music and dance, featuring renowned Greek singer Paschalis.
Serenade nights are slated for the medieval castle square on Friday, March 8, at 19:00, and outside the Municipal University Library on Saturday, March 9, at 18:00.
The weekend will see a range of activities, from the Municipality’s train tours starting Saturday morning to a bicycle parade by the Limassol Cycling Club and the eagerly anticipated Children’s Carnival Parade on Sunday along the coastal road. The evening will continue with musical performances and exhibitions, maintaining the festive momentum.
A series of musical and dance events will follow throughout the week, leading up to the grand Carnival Parade on Sunday, March 17, on Archbishop Makarios III Avenue, promising a spectacular conclusion to the carnival celebrations with a farewell dance at the Old Harbour Square at 21:00.
(Pictures: Stavros Koniotis and Romos Kotsonis)
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