What if your next outing in Nicosia’s historical centre took an unexpected turn? An artist hangs upside down from a tree, another walks on wine glasses in the middle of a square, while a third draws a crowd with a comedy street performance. Would you stop and watch?
For ten days this October, ArtCargo Festival brings contemporary circus and performance to Nicosia’s Old Town, inviting audiences to encounter the unexpected in familiar urban spaces. With the support of bbf:, Εxness and Nicosia Municipality, the festival opens this Friday, activating three different locations. Here are the performances to look out for during the first weekend, from October 16 to 18.
Friday at the Nicosia Municipal Gardens
The 2026 festival opens on Friday, October 16, with a production from France by Compagnie L’Immédiat, where artists Camille Boitel and Sève Bernard dive into a trust-fall with the audience.
Tied to a tree in the Nicosia Municipal Gardens with 40 ropes, the performer hands control over to members of the audience who will hold the artist in the air and control her movements. Those who wish to take part in the performance, pulling on the ropes, can express their interest by registering on the Google Form.
Accompanying the act is Cypriot double bass player Nicolas Tryphonos. The performance will take place twice: at 15:30 and at 17:00
At 19:00, the fountain of the Municipal Gardens will host Parametric Deep; the festival's signature installation, which is a co-production between ArtCargo Festival, Panos Malactos and Curiosity Media Lab.
The dance and media installation presents a dancer performing inside a living system of water, light and digital projections, which will be projected on a screen made of water. As one of the Cypriot productions, commissioned with the support of Valis, the installation will be live for five days on October 16-18 and 22-23 at 19:00.
Saturday at Eleftheria Square
Next comes The Atari Show, in which artist El Goma transforms everything you think you know about street performances. This one-man variety show will unfold at Eleftheria Square, bringing comedy, theatre, the art of miming and a suitcase full of tricks to Nicosia. Audiences can expect high-level juggling, visual comedy, dance and fast-paced improvisation.
Two performances will entertain audiences on October 17; at 14:00 and at 18:00
OLO Company from Sweden present Soft Spot at Eleftheria Square, using a few hundred wine glasses as its stage. Navigating this fragile surface, their act becomes a game of precision, trust and the possibility that all might collapse in an instant.
This contemporary circus act is performed by real-life couple Stina Otterström and Arttu Lahtinen - a juggler and a handstand artist - who will perform at 15:00 and at 17:00.
Meanwhile, the Nicosia Municipal Gardens will again host two performances. The participatory act of Compagnie L’Immédiat where artists, audiences and musician Nicolas Tryphonos will meet for two more shows: at 12:00 and at 16:00, and the Parametric Deep installation at the fountain at 19:00.
Sunday in the city centre
Opening October 18’s agenda is the second performance of The Atari Show, which relocates to the Nicosia Town Hall for two shows: at 15:00 and 17:00. Next, OLO presents Soft Spot again, at Eleftheria Square at 16:00 and 18:00, before the second Cypriot participation of the festival takes over.
ON AIR is a collective dance happening, conceived and directed by Evie Demetriou. It is presented once at ArtCargo with artists Rania Glymitsa, Katerina Tylliridou, Chris Mills, Diamanto Hadjizacharia and musician Kalaqs.
Unfolding in the square, the performance is influenced by public space, the architecture, people who walk by and are pulled into the performance, questioning what it means to be on air in a world where everything is broadcast. The performance takes place at 17:50 and closes off the first week of ArtCargo.
Week two arrives on October 22 with more performances by artists from Spain, France and Japan who turn public spaces into open-air stages and invite passersby to join in on the action!
Find more information about the performances, times and locations on the website www.artcargo.com
General Partner: Exness Key
Partner: bbf:
With the support of: Nicosia Municipality
