Paphos village gets ready for Jazz Festival

This week, music lovers and festival seekers can head to the normally quiet village of Gialia in Paphos for two evenings of jazz, art and dance. This August 21 and 22, musicians and fans can enjoy the Paradise Jazz Festival as its 26th edition unfolds. Beneath mesmerising sunsets and star-filled skies, one of the island’s longest-standing festivals continues to bring quality jazz performances to a rural Paphos village. Each August, international and Cypriot musicians, from the jazz and contemporary scene, get together for two summer nights of both soft and high-energy performances. This year, a diverse programme with varied musical influences, interludes with contemporary dance and jam sessions await. “Audiences can look forward to acclaimed female vocalists, exceptional international soloists, intimate recitals, contemporary dance, classical percussion performances and the electric atmosphere of our renowned late-night jam sessions,” say organisers so, let’s take a look at the 2026 programme. Four events will take place each night, starting with Marios Nicolaou, the principal timpanist of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, who will perform two pieces with jazz influences and one classical work on classical percussion. The ensemble Dion Berardo & Alexis Kasinos Group, will present an engaging programme of original jazz compositions. The dance piece Nothing by Stylish Junkies, choreographed by Milena Ugren Koulas will follow. Nothing was created in 2008 by Milena Ugren Koulas for the Cyprus Choreographic Platform and performed by Milena herself. In 2025, the work was reimagined and recreated for dancer Magda Argyridou who will perform it live at Paradise Jazz Festival A definite must for Friday’s programme is the return of Elizabeth Simonian. Elizabeth Simonian & Friends is a project brought together by George Koulas, which unites five distinctive musicians for an evening of groove, playfulness, storytelling and connection. A jam session will close the first night, with musicians performing in the festival’s both nights taking part. Day two begins a little differently. A 40-minute seminar in English by radio producer and cultural administrator Akis Farmakalides will highlight the life, sound and legacy of jazz legend Miles Davis. The music programme of the second evening begins straight after with Christos Yerolatsitis’ Unity, a recent project by Cypriot pianist and composer Christos Yerolatsitis. The band features Toms Rudzinskis on saxophone, Stelios Xydias on drums, Cahit Kutrafali on electric bass and Yerolatsitis on keyboards. Then, young pianist and composer Dafni Koulas will perform two of her original instrumental compositions on piano. Gabriela Kozyra will present the Sounds of Brazil programme next – a collaboration that combines Brazilian rhythms and Mediterranean melodies with a jazz background as Gabriela joins forces with local musicians. Closing off the 26th festival is yet another epic jam session with all musicians taking the floor for an improvised musical performance to remember. 26th Paradise Jazz Festival Two days of live jazz music from local and international musicians. August 21-22. Val’s Place, Gialia, Paphos. www.paradisejazzfestival.com