The AfroBanana Festival evolves and takes the stage at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre

The AfroBanana Festival, a festival which has been a landmark on the Cypriot cultural scene for over a decade, is evolving, it’s being reimagined and rebranded as the Alternative Brains Rule Festival (ABR), landing right in the heart of Nicosia.

At the centre of this year’s activities is the Nicosia Municipal Theatre, which will host the festival on 19, 20, and 21 June 2025.

ABR is not just another festival. It redefines the city as a vibrant cultural platform and invites the public to join in days and nights filled with music, art, and collective exploration.

"1984-NOW" – The history of electronic music in Cyprus

Electronic music takes centre stage at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre with “1984-NOW”, a retrospective journey through the history of the genre in Cyprus. The festival pays tribute to the pioneers of electronic music and envisions its future through five curated showcases, each led by key figures of the local scene: ABR, Sousami, Alex Tomb, Barking Cats Radio, and Honest Electronics. Featured artists include Evagoras Karageorgis, Menelaos Tomasides, Manic Mike, and emerging artists like Kasska and La Rod’s.

What to expect

This year’s programme consists of a series of open-air performances at the Nicosia Municipal Garden, celebrating the sounds that shaped the festival. Many artists return to ABR, while new voices and collaborations explore fresh sonic pathways, including:

• The triumphant return of South African BCUC – winners of the 2023 WOMEX Artist Award and one of the world’s most explosive bands on the global landscape (20/06/2025).
• Cypriot Spherical Cow, with their unique and unpredictable musical language (20/06/2025).
• Zelzeleh, with their digital Sufi-inspired sound (20/06/2025).
• Brass Rave Unit, delivering ecstatic, chaotic energy straight from Amsterdam (21/06/2025).
• Nama Dama, blending electronic folk with her heritage influences from Ukraine, Greece, Cyprus, and Pontus (20/06/2025).
• Tatadana, a Cyprus-based band of African diaspora in the rhythm of rumba and salsa (21/06/2025).
• Rumba Attack, with their rhythmically melodic temperament (21/06/2025).
• Luzmira Zerpa from Venezuela is returning to the ABR stage after eight years, in an explosive collaboration with 10-member band Drymbago (21/06/2025).

Common Ground: Where art creates connection

ABR features an art programme made up of interactive workshops and creative interventions at the Nicosia Municipal Garden, offering new perspectives on how we experience the world around us. This year’s highlights include:

- Studio [lamarina] and Ferhat Yeşilada present “Umbra” – a multi-sensory walk along a newly bridge, specially installed to connect the Nicosia Municipal Theatre to the Garden.

- Visual Voices pay homage to Famagusta’s Orange Festival with the kinetic sculpture, “Peacock Hand Juicer”, which visitors can operate to make fresh juice.

- The “Head and Hand” series by Kyriaki Costa made from glass she personally recovered from the nearby Pedieos River, explores notions of care, flow, and decay, through handcrafted items. Similarly, Maria Mitsi presents “Windows to the Soul,” a work inspired by the architectural lines of Neoptolemos Michaelides - the visionary architect behind the redesign of the Gardens in the 1960s.

TRAPEZOMA – 22 June 2025 (Nicosia Municipal Gardens)

On Sunday, 22 June, features a festive finale with free admission and the return of Trapezoma with DJs playing from the top of the table, with sets by the founder of Synch Dimitri Papaioannou, as well as Koulla P. Katsikoronou, Facets, and sixonesix. Meanwhile, the creative team from “To Patrikon” will serve a nostalgic menu of favourites – from trahanokeftedes to kleftiko.

Tickets

Tickets: €40 (presale) / €45 (at the door and online from 19 June)

Available at more.com and www.abrfest.com

Info

• Children under 12 enter for free.
• All tickets are valid for the full four-day festival.
• Access to the street food market is free for everyone on Friday and Saturday, 20 & 21 June.