Entertainment ==  Paphos Aphrodite Festival  Opera lovers should not miss the annual Paphos Aphrodite Festival that takes place in the coastal city each September. Every year the festival organizers invite a well-known opera troupe to the city to perform an opera. Past performances include Verdi’s “La Traviata” and “Aida”, Bizet’s “Carmen” and Puccini’s “Turandot”.  The Paphos Aphrodite Festival was organized for the first time in 1999, and since then has become one of the most popular events in Cyprus.  The perfect mood and environment for almost any opera performance is created by the very location of the Paphos Aphrodite Festival. The event takes place in the open air at the square in front of the medieval castle of Paphos.  For more information please call on 26 822 218   Cyprus Marathon  Cyprus Marathon takes place every March in the Paphos area. Professional and amateur runners from all over the world come to Cyprus to participate in this sporting event. It incorporates three different distances: the Marathon, Half Marathon and 10 km Road Race.  The starting point of the Cyprus Marathon is at Petra tou Romiou, the legendary birthplace of Aphrodite, and it finishes with a long section of road on the Paphos seafront at the Paphos Medieval Castle square.  Cyprus Marathon is not only a well organized sporting event with excellent facilities for the runners. It also incorporates a number of activities, such as traditional Cypriot and Greek dancing, which make it a fun event for all the family and friends.  For more information please call on 22 370 396  Dionysia Festival  Every year in the end of hot summer Stroumbi village of the Paphos district holds a festival in honor of Dionysus, the famed Greek god of wine. Therefore, Dionysia Festival is a celebration of the island’s great wines.  First time Dionysia Festival was organized in 1967 when a group of people from the community established the “Dance of the Grape”, which took place in the village square and lasted for one day. Later the event took the form of a three-day festival and grew over the years into one of the biggest and most important events of its kind in the country.  The program of the Dionysia includes many wine exhibits, traditional Cypriot and foreign dances and songs, games, local arts, crafts, fruits, vine-produce and flowers displays. Throughout the duration of the festival plenty of grapes and palouze (must jelly) are offered for free. On the last night of the festival, a “Star Dionysia” and a “Miss Grape” are voted after a dance contest.  For more information please call on 26 633 109 == 