Cyprus Wine Festival & Business Exhibition 2011
A fun packed weekend for all the family!
The Cyprus Wine Festival & Business Exhibition, organised by Parikiaki Cypriot Newspaper in London, will be held at Alexandra Palace’s Great Hall on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th June 2011.
The two-day extravaganza is going from strength to strength, having established itself as a major event throughout the past 20 years, held at the most prestigious venue in North London and is indeed the most celebrated community event for the Greek-Cypriot Community in Britain.
Visitors will have the opportunity to taste Cypriot products and experience the vibrant presence of the Cypriot community in Britain. The business exhibition will include the majority of the most successful businesses of the Cypriot community, including the major banks, airlines, estate agents and many more, all well established in their domain and some having indeed developed into household names in the country.
Back by popular demand and providing entertainment throughout the weekend is renowned Greek artist Glykeria and guest star Sarbel, much adored within the London Cypriot community having been born and raised here himself.
Sarbel is currently recording for his new CD album to be released this summer. The first single of the new album is titled Kafto Kalokairi and is composed by Marios Psimopoulos (who also penned Sokolata and other hits for Sarbel) and Tasos Vouyiatzis.
Sarbel is also preparing for his 2011 concert tour which includes Dubai, Egypt, Cyprus, Germany and Vietnam; but first he will amaze audiences with his appearance at the Cyprus Wine Festival in London!
There will also be performances from various talented singers and dance groups within the community.
The official opening of the festival will take place on the Saturday at 6.00pm by the Cypriot Minister for Commerce and Industry.
There will be over 100 stands exhibiting everything from houses for sale in Cyprus to the best Cypriot wine, as well as jewellery, bags, soft toys, shoes, clothes, books, religious icons, candles, CDs, and many other interesting items. And of course there will be plenty of food and wine!
There will also be a kid’s corner to keep the little ones amused.
Entrance is £6 (adults), £4 (pensioners), and FREE for children under the age of 12. Visitors over the age of 18 will receive a small complimentary bottle of wine when handing over their entrance ticket at the Wine Tasting stand.
Opening times: Saturday 11am-11pm and Sunday 11am – 9pm. For further information or if you would like to book a stand, please call the organisers on 020 8341 5853 / 07802 798 979 or email [email protected].
The Cyprus Wine Festival & Business Exhibition is sponsored and supported by the Cyprus Trade Centre, Cyprus Tourism Organisation, Ministry of Education & Culture, Service for Overseas Cypriots, P&S Carton Industries, Marfin Laiki Bank, Bank of Cyprus, Cyprus Airways, Varosi Lettings & Estates, Smart Housing, The Ability Group, Argo Investment Management Company, CYTA UK Ltd, Jordan Andrews Ltd, G. Theodoulou & Sons Constructions Ltd, C. Michael & Co, Newsfax, Dinos Continental Foods. Media sponsors: LGR, RIK, Hellenic TV, ANT1 Europe.
Don’t miss it – it’s going to be a fun packed weekend for all the family!
History
It was back in 1985 that with great expectation, the story of the Cyprus Wine Festival truly began. The desire to protect the Cypriot identity and traditions, coupled with the fact that so many Cypriots were living far away from their beloved Cyprus led to the creation of this event that is widely anticipated every year, not just within the Cypriot community, but also in North London itself.
Parikiaki, whose first edition was printed in September of 1974, originally set about organising and promoting the annual event. Nostalgically the Wine Festival started life in the form of a bazaar where various businesses exhibited their products. Parikiaki on numerous occasions, paraded stands featuring Cypriot beverages and products that would feature advertisements in Greek as well as English. The overwhelming response from the public for products from Cyprus meant that a bigger venue was needed. As a result, in 1985 it was decided that the Cypriot Community Centre, located in North London, would stage the event. Partnerships and Sponsorships were struck up with Cypriot companies such as KEO, which supplied the wine that was offered to punters at the entrances, Salamis & Co and Dinos & Sons etc were and still are, among the many contributors exhibiting their fantastic products at reasonable prices. As the festival grew in popularity entertainment in the form of singers, musicians and bands were added, this contributed to the festive atmosphere of the event.
As a result a precedent was set and this included that:
• The festival would take place on the last weekend of June,
• A representative of Parikiaki would travel to Cyprus in advance to manage the purchasing of the ‘panayirkotica’
• Increased efforts to include more stands and provide traditional Cypriot cuisine (Souvlakia) within the confines of the premises.
• Commitment to continually upgrade the entertainment each year.
These efforts were fully realised, the crowds got larger each year and more and more businesses began to show interest forcing the committee to find a more suitable venue. Subsequently in 1990, the next big step was taken with the move to Alexandra Palace. With this bold initiative the Cyprus Wine Festival became a two day extravaganza and established itself as one of the main events not only in the Cypriot Community, but in North London also.
Furthermore, up until 2001, the festival was held in Alexandra Palace’s West Hall, a 2500 square meter exhibition venue which a few years later, again proved to be too small, as the event continued to grow in size, going from strength to strength.
The Festival was finally moved to the Great Hall and became known as the Cyprus Wine Festival & Business Exhibition, increasing the exhibitor’s space while at the same time offering new and improved facilities. Today as it stands the 6500 square meter venue can accommodate the many successful businesses of the Greek Cypriot community, including the Cypriot banks, airlines, major industries, manufacturers and importers, all well established in their domain and some having developed into household names in the country.
Throughout the years, the Cyprus Wine Festival has managed to attract a large participation in excess of 20,000 visitors from all sections of the Cypriot community and in particular the local community in Haringey and North London, including many British visitors who have the opportunity to taste all things Greek and experience the Cypriot culture.
The entertainment programme is one of the main attractions of the Festival. Each year, renowned artists from Greece and Cyprus close the event with a 2 hour performance. Previous singers have included Glykeria, Sarbel, Zig Zag, Pantelis Thalassinos, Stelios Dionysiou, Evi Kapatai, Stavros Constantinou, and the group 4Tune who were contestants on ITV’s X Factor competition. Talented community singers also entertain throughout the weekend.
The Cyprus Wine Festival in essence is a celebration of the Cypriot culture and heritage, a fact that honours our community. This event, that took a lot of struggle and effort to become recognized, is today a joyous and celebratory occasion, that will be preserved and continue to improve. As one of the biggest and most celebrated annual events in the community, the Cyprus Wine Festival & Business Exhibition can only continue to get bigger and better.
Delicious Lokmaddes at the Cyprus Wine Festival
