Our Fall Festival Guide
September-November 2025
A curated collection of our favorite arts and culture festivals in Greece and Cyprus
By: Sophia Marilyn Nelson and Konstantina
Greece and Cyprus are more than just places to visit for summer holidays— they are vibrant artistic hubs with envious cultural programming throughout the year. Sometimes, visiting outside of tourist season makes for the best and most memorable trips. Streets are quieter, restaurants have more openings, and art is in full bloom. The fall season is complete with an envious blend of art and culture that brings locals back into the city hubs full time. We’ve rounded up some of the most exciting fairs this season for you to explore from afar or visit in person.
The Buzzy Art Athina at Zappeion Megaron (September 18-22)
Each September, people flock to the heart of Athens for the promise of fresh art and design offerings from galleries across the globe. Brought together by the historic Art Athina fair, this annual event is not only the largest visual arts fair in Greece, but also one of the oldest in Europe. From 18-22 September, this year’s event features a lineup of 72 galleries.
Art Athina’s curated booth displays remain an approachable way to participate with the diverse offerings of international artists. Take an inspired stroll through the displays or attend some of the fair’s parallel programming, which includes public forum discussions, live performances, and educational workshops. Marginalia, The Edit, and M.A.M.A (Making art, Meeting Art) Contemporary are all galleries from Cyprus being featured this year. Alongside them, galleries from Bulgaria, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, and the U.K. bring their own unique programming to this year’s lineup. You can find a full list of participating galleries here.
The viewings are housed in the iconic Zappeion Megaron, a venue that adds a sense of grandeur and historical remembrance to the event. This stunning neoclassical building was originally constructed for the first modern Olympic Games and designed by the Danish architect Theophil Hansen. With its traditional columns, vast atrium, and lush neighboring gardens, this landmark has served as the fitting home for Athens’ beloved fair since 2019, offering a striking contrast between contemporary creativity and historic architecture.
The Hellenic Art Galleries Association established the first edition of Art Athina in 1993
with a visionary goal: to cultivate a space where the public could engage with global art movements that have shaped the visual language of each era. Over the decades, the fair has steadily evolved, expanding its reach and reputation while maintaining a strong connection to the local art scene. It has become a dynamic platform for artistic exchange, critical discourse, and community engagement. Year after year, Art Athina continues to carve out new avenues for creative collaboration and cultural visibility, cultivating a space for new talent and artistic innovation.
Whether you are new to the contemporary art scene or an established savant, Art Athina offers an accessible, expansive event for all to delight in. With its remarkable blend of local pride and international spirit, this fair stands as a vibrant testament to the power of art to inspire, challenge, and unite. Mark your calendars for 18-22 September, and step into a world of embodied possibility.
Faneromeni Art Festival in Cyprus (July 11-September 26)
Once again, the beautiful courtyard of the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation in Faneromeni blossoms with vibrant music, dance, theatre, poetry, and evocative film screenings. A unique, months-long arts festival set in the heart of Nicosia, it’s the perfect setting for celebrating contemporary art and culture alongside the changing seasons. This event offers an immersive experience for attendees that captures the essence of the island. You can still catch the tail end of this carefully curated festival, which runs through 12 September, offering a final chance to join the celebration.
Musical group Monsieur Doumani, known for their avant-folk style, will close out the festivities with a live performance of their most recent album PISSOURIN. This surrealist collection of songs is centered on the theme of night, explored through philosophical musings on darkness, dreams, and transformation. Their sound blends traditional Cypriot music with modern elements, creating an experience both familiar and entirely new.
Earlier this month, Euripides Dikaios’ daring new play Tσ̃ύκλοι, τσ̃αι χιλϊоτσ̃υκλοι / Cycles, in megaHertz was performed by renowned actor Petros Yiorkatzis. Written specifically for this festival, the piece was praised for its innovative structure, rhythmic intensity, and powerful use of the Cypriot dialect.
This year’s festival places a strong focus on exploring manifestations of the Cypriot identity. Following last year’s poignant commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion, through its central exhibition, Cyprus Insula, this year’s festival invites us to look forward in reverence. The program’s diverse performances and installations act as a conduit that inspires imaginations of the future. While history and memory remain earnestly respected and embedded in the people and land, artists are empowered to break boundaries and experiment with new visions of the future. The result is a living, breathing dialogue between past and present, a bright expression of the resilience, creativity, and evolving cultural landscape of Cyprus.
Explore more about these offerings here.
Sardam Interdisciplinary Literary Festival Returns to Cyprus with Fresh Innovations (September 25-28)
For the 13th year, September will bring a harvest of interdisciplinary literary innovation to Cyprus. From 25–28 September, Sardam Festival invites you to engage with literature as it merges with both ancient and modern forms of expression, including poetry, theatre, sound/music, spoken word, contemporary dance, sound poetry, video poetry, technology, visual arts, and more. Creating a unique somatic and intellectual experience for the audience, these hybrid art forms come alive through dynamic performances and immersive events.
This year’s thoughtfully curated program features 19 individual artists and collectives, spotlighting the vibrant local scene while welcoming groundbreaking international voices from the U.S., Finland, Ireland, and Iceland. Expect bold experimentation, intimate storytelling, and new artistic languages that engage with today’s shifting cultural landscapes.
Founded in 2013 by aRttitude, a artistic group, and Cypriot writer Maria A. Ioannou, Sardam Festival is a bold manifestation of their mission to promote dance and literature in Cyprus and beyond. As an artistic collective, aRttitude fosters a spirit of innovation and cross-disciplinary collaboration. They have grown Sardam to be an essential space where assumptions dissolve and new forms take shape.
This year’s lineup includes a series of visionary workshops designed to spark dialogue and personal explorations. Highlights include a poetry workshop led by guest of honor Danez Smith, a sound poetry and voice workshop with Finnish artist Maja Jantar, and sessions on catharsis through healing, spoken word, and an open mic finale that brings the festival’s community together in a vibrant celebration of expression.
With once-in-a-lifetime live performances and daring multi-hyphenate artists, Sardam is a festival not to be missed. Its expertly curated program breathes new life into literature and performance, inspiring and connecting audiences in ways that go beyond language. Sardam offers a rare space to explore the transformative and mysterious power of words.
Unique Offerings from the Athens Art Book Fair (October 3-5)
Make your way to Stoa Tristrato in Athens for a special look into the world of independent artist book publishing. From 3–5 October, you can explore and directly support the vibrant offerings of the Athens Art Book Fair. Now a beloved annual event, the fair is a celebration of creativity and experimentation. There, you’ll find an inspiring mix of local and international print-based artists and will have the opportunity to engage with innovative books, zines, photo books, artist editions, and experimental publishing projects from a diverse array of independent artists and collectives.
Founded in 2019 by artists Margarita Athanasiou and Michalis Pichler, this expansive and forward-thinking festival aims to provide a purposeful platform for artists who are pushing boundaries in the medium of bookmaking. Whether you're a casual viewer or a dedicated collector, there's something here for everyone. Stroll by tables brimming with one-of-a-kind book displays, printed ephemera, and handmade pieces, or attend one of their immersive programs such as live radio broadcasts, panel discussions, or slam poetry sessions. This year features local voices as well as artists from Cairo, Istanbul, Shanghai, Tehran, Valencia, and many more. The Athens Art Book Fair is a must-see event for anyone curious about the ever-changing contemporary book publishing culture.
Find more information on this year's exhibitors here.
Larnaca Biennale (October 15-November 28)
Larnaca comes to life for the fourth annual Biennale, the largest international contemporary art event on the island. Under this year’s theme “Along lines and traces,” curator Sana Lopez Abellan brings together a global roster of multi-disciplinary that contribute works on how lines can contribute to our understanding of expressions of humanity. The artist ponder questions such as : How can the tactile, shapes, materials, and sensorial experiences reflect our inner world into the exterior? Can that which is unspoken reach us directly through an abstraction? form the support upon which we can imagine metaphoric, symbolic, and physical expressions of how we make sense of our world and our placement in it. From how lineages and traditions develop, how stories narrate, how thoughts are constructed, to how we move, how we connect and communicate, and how we create and produce meaning.
Two international artists — Ann Tarantino (US/Italy) and Steve Messam (UK) will create site-specific installations that transform the city’s public spaces and spark conversations between residents, visitors, and the surrounding landscape. During her residency in Larnaca, Tarantino has embraced the city’s topography — from its rivers to historic walking paths — and created a laser-engraved installation for the central window of the Youth Maker space. Consistent with Ann’s work that can be dismantled, the artwork will be broken up into smaller pieces that the public can collect and take home. Messam, an environmental artist known for his large-scale, ephemeral installations, will create one of his iconic inflatable textile displays that re-imagine everyday environments.
In addition to the main exhibition, Larnaca Biennial as a city-wide project will host a series of artistic and culture parallel events such as theater, performances, educational programs, concerts, activities, lectures, and workshops, based on the theme.
More details here.
Limassol Art Walks (October 18-20)
After two successful editions, Limassol Art Walks returns with programming that showcases the city’s evolving cultural landscape by bringing together contemporary art spaces, local institutions, art initiatives.
With 17 participating galleries, institutions, and pop-up projects, the public program offers a array of exhibitions, screenings, discussions, and more for locals and visors alike. Engaging with the past and present of Limassol’s historic center, these events will uncover the dynamic artistic pulse that runs through the heart of the city. Participating galleries in cloud Art Seen, Neme Art Center, The Island Club, The Edit Gallery, and Pylon Art & Culture.
Founded by Alexandros Diogenous, Christodoulos Panayiotou, and Tasos Stylianou, the Limssol Art walks foster collaboration and synergy within the city’s vibrant cultural ecosystem. The project is managed by Marios Pavlou.
Free entry to all exhibitions and events. Please find the map here.
