ArtCargo Performing Arts Festival enters its first week, filling Limassol’s streets and squares with performances. Following the motto “art belongs everywhere,” more than 30 productions by 12 international collectives will bring together physical and walkabout theatre, new circus, media art and site-specific performances. Until November 15, dozens of non-verbal and free performances are scheduled, although just two indoor shows are ticketed.
The festival’s indoor shows invite audiences into a more classic theatre environment, yet deliver rare moments of virtuosity and intimacy. Monad (France) presents Yin at Pattiihio Theatre on Friday, a magnetic fusion of juggling and dance, where dervish-inspired rotations draw the audience into the dancers’ orbit and take them on a journey through space and time.
But ArtCargo doesn’t stay inside for long. From the very first day, the festival spills out into the streets, beaches, and public squares – offering free performances open to passersby, families and curious citizens alike.
Mission Roosevelt (Italy) by Tony Clifton Circus, with support of the Cyprus Red Cross, places audiences in wheelchairs to navigate the city on November 12-14, an extraordinary participatory performance of access, empowerment and perspective. Viky Kalla (Cyprus) showcases A Meeting-Celebration on November 13, a 12-dancer choreography of collective presence and connection in the Old Port Square. Shadowdance (Belgium) daily until Sunday transforms the Molos basins into a dreamscape of light, shadow and water projection. More performances will take audiences around Limassol and a detailed programme is on the festival’s website.
Alongside the artistic programme, performers Murmuyo, Kamchatka and Viky Kalla will offer free, open-access (not addressed at professionals) workshops in movement, improvisation and theatre. Plus, a series of public talks and workshops exploring the future of Limassol public space are set to take place.
These events invite citizens, urban thinkers and artists to come together to reflect, question and reimagine how we inhabit and shape our shared urban environments. Events are organised in cooperation with Lemesos2030, OPU Collective (Organisation for Positive Urbanism), and Critical Mass.
The festival culminates on November 15 with a spectacular finale at the historical KEAN Factory. Italian vertical theatre pioneers eVenti Verticali will perform CUBO—a breathtaking aerial spectacle on a 7-metre-high metal cube suspended in the air. The night continues with the ArtCargo Closing Party, featuring Cypriot DJ duo Aparapira Parape, food, drinks and family-friendly activities.
ArtCargo Festival
Circus, street performances theatre and dance events. Until November 15. Throughout Limassol. https://artcargofest.com/
