The first weekend of October is here and this Friday, Saturday and Sunday will treat us to Oktoberfests, art exhibitions, street parties, book festivals and flea markets as a new season begins.
Kickstarting the weekend is the opening of two new exhibitions on Friday night, both in Nicosia. At the Centre of Contemporary Art Diatopos, local photographer Emma Louise Charalambous will present her first solo exhibition titled Amensalism. The exhibition opens at 7pm and will run until the end of the month, concluding on October 25.
On the same evening, the Common Room (next to Prozak) will host the second edition of the Mental Echoes exhibition. The group showcases seven local artists (Andri Andreou, Giorgos Papakonstantinou, Iacovos Loizou, Nurtane Karagil, Orestis Kalvaris, Souzana Petri and Twenty Three) who touch on mental health and how today’s society perceives it. Running until October 14, the exhibition will showcase diverse mediums as each artist approaches the topic through their perspective genres.
If it is Oktoberfest vibes you are after this weekend, you will find them in Trimiklini as John’s Restaurant will welcome Bierstein Blasmusik, a German-style band that performs in the Oompah style. Their performance this Friday night will be based on the typical traditional Bavarian style Oktoberfest music featuring two clarinets, two trumpets, a trombone, euphonium, tuba, accordion and drums.
The event book lovers and literature enthusiasts cannot miss this weekend is, of course, the 9th edition of the Nicosia Book Fest which will be held on Saturday and Sunday at Acropolis Park. With a focus this year on Latin American literature, there will be plenty of book-related events that touch on that region’s literary giants as well as live music performances that celebrate Latin American culture.
Part of the festival is the Cuban Music Street Party, organised by the Embassy of Cuba. Local band Havana Vitral will perform on Saturday at 9.30pm, bringing the colourful rhythms of Cuba to Nicosia.
On Sunday, the funky art and flea markets Misfit Sundays make their comeback with their first market of the season. From 2pm to 8pm, Misfit Union will host a range of local artists selling vintage goods, tote bags, stickers, greetings cards and more and a selection of vinyl records while DJ dprank is on the decks and the kitchen and bar of MU Kitchen serves delicious food.
Lastly, the Xortaste Paradosi event in Fikardou seems to be an event not to miss this Sunday, full of Cypriot character. All day long (11am to 5pm), the village alleys will fill with traditional produce and crafts while the village’s museums open their doors and local women demonstrate how to make traditional goods. There will be free clay workshops to join, palouze, zivania, trahanas and fresh halloumi to taste while Fikardou’s coffee shop and tavern welcome hungry visitors.
Amensalism
First solo exhibition by photographer Emma Louise Charalambous. Centre of Contemporary Art Diatopos, Nicosia. October 4 – 25. Tel: 22-766117. www.diatopos.com
Mental Echoes
Group art exhibition on mental health. October 4-14. The Common Room, Prozak, Nicosia. 6pm-10pm.
Oktoberfest
Live performance by Bierstein Blasmusik band. October 4. John’s Restaurant, Trimiklini, Limassol district. 8pm. €15. Tel: 97-898997. www.dailydealscy.com/event/oktoberfest. [email protected]
9th Nicosia Book Fest
Annual book festival. October 5-6. Acropolis Park, Nicosia. www.nicosiabookfest.com
Misfit Sunday
Pop-up art and flea market with food, drinks and DJs. October 6 Misfit Union, Nicosia. 2pm-8pm. Tel: 99-338577
Xortaste Paradosi
Traditional event with free clay workshop, craft demonstrations, traditional markets and more. October 6. Fikardou village, Nicosia district. 11am-5pm
