Limassol · Cyprus · since the 16th century
EdoLemesos!
The biggest carnival in Cyprus. Eleven days, a whole city in the streets.
4 Mar – 14 Mar 2027
King Carnival 2027 Σπύρος Ματσούκας
Countdown to the Limassol Carnival 2027
Thursday 4 March – Sunday 14 March 2027
King Carnival 2027: Σπύρος Ματσούκας
The first Komitato: the carnival gets an organisation and rules.
groups in the Grand Parade · 2026
carnival-goers in the streets
History
A story of centuries
From the nobles of Venetian Cyprus to the drones over the Old Port.
Christoph Fürer describes the carnival
The German traveller Christoph Fürer von Haimendorf, on his way to the Holy Land, records the carnival feasts of the Cypriot nobility under Venetian rule: games, dances, hunting and rich meals. It is the oldest description of carnival in Cyprus.
The first Komitato and Diogenes with his lantern
The first jury, the «Komitato», is formed with a prize of 20 gold francs for the best costume. The newspaper Alithia (18/02/1898) reports that Yiangos Lanitis won it as Diogenes with his lantern. The Komitato would run the carnival until 1974.
The first parades
Around 1920 the masqueraders take to the streets in an organised way, on foot, on donkeys, bicycles and carriages, and the first parades grow into long processions. Many sources give 1921 as the start of the organised Limassol Carnival.
The first float of King Carnival
The float of King Carnival appears for the first time, designed by the artists Giorgos Fasouliotis and Viktor Ioannides. The Paratiritis newspaper reports 700+ visitors from other towns spending £1,500. The float would be the King until 2007.
The serenades become the sound of the city
Ionian and Athenian serenades, with mandolins and guitars, move from the tavernas into the alleys, where women listen from the balconies. Every Tsiknopempti journalist Georgios Templar opens his house on Agiou Andreou; the pellomaskes start their tour from there.
The carnival becomes a municipal affair
The year of the invasion closes the Komitato era (1898–1974). The organisation passes to the Municipality of Limassol and its Cultural Services. The carnival never stopped, but for years it was celebrated in a lower key.
The Museum of the Limassol Carnival
On 26 May 2024 the Museum of the Limassol Carnival opens on three floors of the «Panos Solomonides» Municipal Cultural Centre: costumes, floats, photographs and posters from a century, «an ark of popular memory» in the words of Mayor Nikos Nikolaides.
700 drones over the Old Port
«Limassol Madness»: 115 groups, projection mapping on the District Administration building, the first robot in the parade and a finale of 700 drones over the Old Port. The carnival also travels to Seville with an exhibition from the Pattichion Historical Archive.
1936
2014
Then and now
Drag to see how the parade changed.
Then: Artistic impression (AI) — not an archive photograph · Now: Grand Parade, 2 March 2014 (Sergey Galyonkin from Kyiv, Ukraine, CC BY-SA 2.0)
2027
Coming up
- Thu 4 Mar 19:00 Tsiknopempti: entrance and coronation of King Spyros Matsoukas Πλατεία Γρηγόρη Αυξεντίου (Διοικητήριο) Ceremony
- Fri 5 Mar 19:00 Night of the Kantadoroi Πλατεία Μεσαιωνικού Κάστρου Serenades
- Sun 7 Mar 11:30 Children's Carnival Parade Παραλιακός δρόμος For children
- Tue 9 Mar 19:30 Night Pellomaska Parade Πλατεία Μαρίνας Λεμεσού Parade
- Thu 11 Mar 19:30 Night Masked Walk Πλατεία Γρηγόρη Αυξεντίου (Διοικητήριο) Parade
- Sat 13 Mar 18:30 The big Kantadoroi night Πλατεία Γρηγόρη Αυξεντίου (Διοικητήριο) Serenades
2008 → 2027
The Kings and Queens
Since 2008 King Carnival is embodied every year by a person of the city.
The night of the masks
Pellomaska
The light finds the faces behind the masks. Night parade, masked balls and Tuesday's pellomaska contest.
The night eventsMusic
The serenades
The sound of the city: mandolins, guitars and four-part harmonies.
Groups · 10
Do you run a float or a group?
Create your group's page and post your events on the programme. Free, approved by the Municipality.
Shop
Souvenirs
Take a bit of carnival home.
