Paphos Entertainment

A lively resort town, Paphos has plenty to keep you occupied after the sun sets. There is a wide selection of bars and clubs, while for many, the restaurant and café scene is more than enough for evening entertainment. Paphos has some great performing arts acts and there is a full calendar of both traditional and modern productions and events throughout the year.

Nightlife

The nightlife in Paphos is varied and lots of fun, with most of the bars and clubs located on the aptly named Bar street. Take your pick from venues with a jazz, techno, blues or rock themes, some of which have great live music during the busy summer months. There are some lively discos to dance the rest of the night away in as well, featuring great DJs.

Theatre and music

Paphos prides itself on its traditional dance, theatre, music and song, and there are many enthralling events throughout the year.  The venues are magical and spectacular and include the ancient Odeon amphitheatre and the Medieval Castle Square. The majority of the performing arts productions are cultural works based on Cypriot or Greek mythology and legend, and are quite unique and very entertaining. There is also classical opera and modern theatre a certain number of times throughout the year.

Classical music concerts are very popular in Paphos, as are more modern genres such as jazz and rock. The city hosts numerous annual music events such as jazz festivals and classical piano soirées. The live music scene is also prevalent in many of the bars and clubs near the waterfront district.

Festivals

Paphos features the usual annual religious festivals typical of Greek towns, but it also has a wide variety of unique and interesting events based on local myths and traditions. Many of these are enthralling performing arts events including dance, music, song and drama.

• Paphos Carnival: a fantastic event, filled with lots of traditional and modern activities. Plenty of fun, dancing and music, not to mention great food and drinks (March).
• Akamas Festival: this festival features excellent classical music concerts and is held over one week (March).
• Paphos Festival of Ancient Greek Drama: held at the magnificent Paphos Odeon, this enthralling festival lasts for around one month and features a variety of different quality performances (July/August).
• Summer Nights in Polis: starting from the end of July, this month-long festival has traditional Greek dance, song, music and theatre performances as well as modern rock concerts. Venues include Municipality Square and Town Hall Yard (July/August).
• Paradise Jazz Festival: named after its venue, Paradise Place, this popular music festival attracts a host of quality jazz musicians from across Europe and beyond (August/September).
• Paphos Aphrodite Festival: the most famous and popular annual event in Paphos is this ancient celebration. Held at the magical setting of the Medieval Castle Square, the festival has plenty of traditional Greek and Cypriot dancing, singing and music (September).
• Ierokipeia Festival: another festival focusing on traditional dance, music and song. The performances are held over two weeks at Agia Paraskevi Square in Geroskipou village, just outside of Paphos (September).