Don Quixote at Paphos Castle: How Cyprus is turning into a new point on the world’s cultural map

Events & Activities culturegoing out PaphosPaphos Don Quixote at Paphos Castle: How Cyprus is turning into a new point on the world’s cultural map 1930х1080 Relevant News Don Quixote at Paphos Castle: How Cyprus is turning into a new point on the world’s cultural map 18 September 2026 Man facing child abuse charges was on bail when he allegedly attacked partner again 18 September 2026 Mavroyiannis says polls put him in first place ahead of 2028 presidential race 18 September 2026 Newsroom 18 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Picture this: the centuries-old stone walls of Paphos Castle, which once knew Venetian and Ottoman rulers, suddenly coming alive to the sound of music — and instead of guards, ballet dancers turning pirouettes across the fortress courtyards. This is not fantasy but reality on 26 September: the National Ballet of Slovenia will take the open-air stage here together with Bolshoi Theatre principal and prima Igor Tsvirko and Kristina Kretova, performing the legendary Don Quixote — one of the most spectacular ballets in the world repertoire. And this is far from the first, and by all appearances not the last, time the island has hosted a cultural event of this scale. Cyprus as Europe’s New Cultural Stage Just a few years ago, major opera and ballet tours on the island were rare — an event people talked about for months before and after. Today the picture is changing visibly. The island’s ancient amphitheatres and medieval fortresses — Kourion, the castles of Limassol, Paphos, Larnaca — are increasingly hosting productions of European calibre, not just local concerts. The reason is simple: the island has something money cannot buy — genuine historical settings. No opera house in the world can offer audiences a real thirteenth-century medieval fortress in place of painted plywood backdrops. When classical European ballet meets stone that remembers the Crusaders, the result is a wholly distinct sense of presence — not a “performance about the past,” but a performance inside the past. Don Quixote at Paphos Castle is exactly this kind of event. Organizer Celebrity Gala is bringing a full-scale production to the island: 50 ballet dancers, more than 100 costumes, and sets delivered directly from Slovenia — an entire touring logistics operation for one evening on Cypriot soil. This year’s event is supported by Cyprus-based IT company Space 307, and as Andrey Yarin explains, it is far from an arbitrary choice: “We focus on three areas — sport, education and culture — and it seems to me Don Quixote speaks to all three at once. On one hand, it’s about a kind of madness: spending your time chasing an ideal, galloping after a dream, like Don Quixote with his Sancho Panza. But on the other hand, it’s nobility and a drive toward a goal. And there’s a piece of that madness in each of us — otherwise we’d never take on projects that add even a little more kindness and beauty to this world.” — Andrey Yarin, CSO, Space 307 Paphos Castle: A Witness to Eras, Now in New Service The castle itself is not merely a venue but a full participant in the action. The fortress by Paphos harbour was rebuilt over centuries: a Byzantine stronghold, a Lusignan fortification, Venetian bastions, an Ottoman prison — and only in the twentieth century was the monument opened for peaceful use, becoming a symbol of the city and, since the 1980s, a UNESCO-protected site in Paphos. Today the old walls know not only the clash of weapons but also the sound of applause — the fortress regularly hosts an international opera festival and other cultural events. The ballet adds a new, unexpected chapter to this history: the Knight of the Sorrowful Countenance arrives, quite literally, in the setting of his own era, and audiences get an evening that cannot be replicated in any indoor theatre in the world. What the Ballet Is Actually About The story traces back to Cervantes’s novel, but the ballet — staged in 1869 by composer Ludwig Minkus and choreographer Marius Petipa (the same Petipa the whole world knows for Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake) — takes just one vivid episode from the sprawling novel: the love story of innkeeper’s daughter Kitri and barber Basilio, whose marriage is opposed by her father, who dreams of a wealthier son-in-law. Don Quixote himself and his faithful Sancho Panza serve more as guides through this sunny, spirited Spanish world — with windmills, a gypsy encampment, and of course the famous dream sequence about Dulcinea. The climax of the evening is Kitri’s variation with 32 fouettés in a row: thirty-two turns on the spot without a single stop. Among ballet dancers this has long been an unofficial test of top-tier mastery — a feat that typically stops the audience in its tracks before it erupts into applause. The production is led by a team of international standing: choreographer Krzysztof Nowogrodzki, artistic director Edward Clug, set designer Juan Guillermo Nova, costume designer Luca Dall’Alpi, lighting designer Pascal Mérat. Why It’s Worth Seeing for Yourself Every such visit is more than just an evening of ballet — it’s a small sign that the island is moving beyond being just a resort of beaches and tavernas and gradually claiming its place among Europe’s cultural destinations. Organizers are increasingly bringing productions here that, until recently, could only be seen in Vienna, Milan or Moscow — staged in settings found nowhere else. For those living in Cyprus or planning to be here in late September, this is a rare chance to see world classical ballet at the point where two eras meet: a distant Spanish legend of a knight and windmills, and an authentic medieval fortress on the shore of the Mediterranean. Where: Paphos CastleWhen: 26 September 2026Tickets: SoldOut Ticket Box — https://www.soldoutticketbox.com/ru/event/don-quixote-grand-ballet-2026 Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Man facing child abuse charges was on bail when he allegedly attacked partner again Mavroyiannis says polls put him in first place ahead of 2028 presidential race Queer Wave film festival opens tonight bringing 50 Cyprus premieres to Nicosia Larnaca, Aradippou flooding turns roads into rivers as storm hits Cyprus unveils nine Christmas Villages for the 2026 festive season Overnight pharmacies on Friday, September 18 CY-Alert “unnecessary” for many, Civil Defence says, as storms disrupt flights in west Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.