The Statos Agios Photios Rural Festival
Among the highlights of late Summer / early Autumn in the Paphos region are the village festivals that are held throughtout the area. Statos - Agios Photios has an annual event, and given that we have already visited the deserted forerunners of the twin village, it seemed only fair that we should check out their offering, to show you that the village is very much alive.
A Popular Spot!
I have been meaning to write a blog about Statos - Agios Photios for some time now. It is a newish village, formed when the inhabitants of Statos and Agios Fotios abandoned their villages due to the threat of landslides brought on by years of terrible weather conditions and neglect. The old villages are great fun to explore, but the new village is well worth a visit too.
Now, because of our previous explorations, I already had a good idea of a route to the festival that avoided the traffic. Sure enough, we were able to drive nice and close before parking the car (having first turning it round to allow for an easy exit). It was a short walk from there to the main event. As you can see from this photo, it was already getting crowded, and the festival had only been open for about fifteen minutes.
The Festival Beckons
We weren't exactly sure where the festival was being held, so we just followed people who looked like they knew where they were going.
Heavy Police Presence
A token police car was there to keep an eye on things. Other than that, everybody was left to have fun and enjoy themselves.
To The Festival
The festival appeared to be on two sides of a large, central car park. We decided to start on the right and work our way anti-clockwise around.
Local Wineries Out In Force
Given the amount of vineyards you drive through in order to get to the festival, you shouldn't be surprised to see the local wineries out selling their produce.