What to enjoy at revival of Famagusta Orange Festival

Some celebrations carry more than festivity, they carry memory. The Orange Festival of Famagusta is one of them. Once among the town’s most emblematic events, it returns this May, honouring the region’s traditions and past.

The municipalities of Ayia Napa and Famagusta join forces to revive the historic celebration in Ayia Napa’s municipal district on May 2. Together, the two municipalities are bringing back a cultural celebration, enriching the artistic events agenda for both locals and visitors.

The day begins at 5.30pm with a parade of floats departing from Ayia Napa harbour. Moving through the town and culminating at the THALASSA Museum, the procession is set to bring a sense of thrill and celebration to the streets – echoing the spirit of the original festival while giving it a modern-day feel.

Then at 6.30pm, the focus shifts to the museum’s amphitheatre, where the main event will unfold. Running until 8pm, the programme will draw from the traditions and cultural identity of Famagusta, offering performances that are bound to draw in visitors of all ages and nationalities.

And that is not all the municipalities of Ayia Napa and Famagusta have in store. The revival also extends beyond a single evening. From May 2 to May 30, the THALASSA Municipal Museum will host a ceramics exhibition titled Scents of Famagusta, featuring works by members of the Cyprus Potters and Ceramicists Association. Through texture, form and material, the exhibition invites visitors to engage with the town in a different way—through impressions, fragments and quiet evocations of place.

Mayor of Ayia Napa Christos Zannetou emphasised that “the revival of the Famagusta Orange Festival is a great honour for the municipality as through such initiatives the collective memory is kept alive and the vision of return is strengthened.

“We invite,” he added, “the public to honour this special celebration with their presence, a celebration that bridges the past with the present and keeps alive the historical memory and the hope of returning to our beloved city.”

As the spring calendar unfolds, more beloved annual events will take place in the region. Get ready soon for the Anthestiria Ammochostou (Flower Festival) and the Kataklysmos (Flood Festival) in early June, co-organised by the Famagusta and Deryneia Municipalities.

Famagusta Orange Festival

Revival of traditional festival with parades, performances, a ceramic exhibition and more. May 2. Ayia Napa harbour and THALASSA Museum. 5.30pm