The Flash Festival returns for its second edition, continuing its role as a platform supporting and showcasing contemporary artistic creation in Cyprus.
Originally launched in 2020 as the annual FlashArt programme, the initiative has evolved into a festival that provides space for new artistic works and diverse creative approaches. This year's programme brings together artists working across dance, music, theatre, performance and film.
All performances will take place on the stage of Rialto Theatre in Limassol, with audience seating also arranged on stage to create a more intimate viewing experience and closer interaction between artists and spectators.
Friday, 27 November
19:00 | The Blue Hour | Benjamin Kahn | 55 min | €10
The Blue Hour completes the portrait trilogy of French choreographer and dancer Benjamin Kahn, following Sorry, But I Feel Slightly Disidentified... with Cherish Menzo and Bless the Sound That Saved a Witch Like Me with Thi Mai Nguyen.
Performed by Théo Aucremanne, the work uses the "blue hour" between day and night as a metaphor for a society at an ideological and ecological crossroads, exploring vulnerability, transition and awakening through elements of classical dance, cabaret and contemporary choreography.
21:00 | Songs from Troodos and Other Forests | Androula | 40 min | €8
Developed through encounters with the natural world, particularly the forests and mountains of Troodos, the project explores grief, desire, prayer and protest through voice, electronics and movement.
Working with visual artist Elena Savvidou, Androula creates a sonic and visual landscape where trees, birds and elements of nature become songs and offerings.
22:00 | Opening Party | Penny K | Free admission
Saturday, 28 November
19:00 | 21S | Emiddio Vasquez feat. Stelios Antoniou and Elvin Brandhi | 40 min | €8
A live improvised audiovisual performance that reconstructs the psychogeography of **Ayia Napa, once a significant centre of the UK Garage scene.
Electronic beats, bat recordings, audio interference, live vocals and AI-generated visuals combine to explore the complex relationship between club culture and militarism.
20:00 | Acts We Perform | Short Film Selection from Queer Wave | 70 min | 15+ | €8
A curated selection from the seventh edition of **Queer Wave, Cyprus' LGBTQIA+ Film Festival.
The programme includes:
- Tuna Tartare by Lena Greene
- Kiloran Bay by Michael Bruce
- Sorry by John Greyson
- Andro by Dominik Gasser
- Our Joyful Endings by La Fille Renne and Levon Babayan
The films explore identity, gender, sexuality, self-confidence and belonging while highlighting the power of collective action against oppression.
All films will be screened with English subtitles.
21:30 | TRACKS: From Stone to Concrete | x.ypno | 50 min | €8
Created by x.ypno (Tasos Lamnisos), the performance traces a journey from historic Nicosia and its stone-built neighbourhoods to contemporary Limassol, shaped by concrete and rapid urban development.
Blending spoken word, rap, live clarinet, percussion and manipulated visuals, the work uses the Cypriot dialect as a vehicle for contemporary poetic expression.
Sunday, 29 November
19:00 | The Effect | Lucy Prebble | Directed by Evita Ioannou | Satirical Theatre | 90 min | 16+ | €13
The Satirical Theatre presents the Cyprus premiere of The Effect, written by award-winning British playwright Lucy Prebble.
The story follows Connie and Tristan, who meet during a clinical trial for a new antidepressant and fall in love. As their relationship develops, questions emerge about whether their feelings are genuine or a product of medication.
The production explores love, mental health and scientific ethics, challenging audiences to consider the limits of science and human behaviour.
English surtitles will be provided.
Parallel digital programme
The Feed as Stage | Suzana Fialas | Collaborating Artist 2026
During the festival, Suzana Fialas will take over the **Rialto Theatre Instagram account through a digital artistic intervention.
Moving activity from the physical stage into digital space, she will present AI-generated artworks, unpublished movement studies and material from her digital archive.
The project transforms Rialto's Instagram feed into a living algorithmic gallery exploring the intersection between bodily limitations and synthetic intelligence.
Tickets
- The Blue Hour: €10
- All other performances and screenings: €8
- The Effect: €13
- Festival Pass: €30
More information and ticket sales:
https://rialto.interticket.com/programseries/flash-festival-2026-26
Organiser: Rialto Theatre
Institutional sponsor: Deputy Ministry of Culture, Department of Contemporary Culture
Supported by: Limassol Municipality
Platinum sponsors: MEDOCHEMIE, Alpha Bank Cyprus, Bank of Cyprus, Eurobank, P.M. Tseriotis
Gold sponsors: Island Oil Holdings, Mediterranean Beach Hotel, Atlas Pantou, Crowne Plaza, KPMG, Fidelius, VNK Capital
Hospitality sponsor: Alinea
Institutional media sponsor: Kathimerini
Media partners: CyBC, Kanali 6, Wiz Guide, Vestnik Kypra, Russian Wave.
