Park Rest Journal — September 2026 · Practical
The second half of September and the start of October are the busiest stretch of the festival calendar in Northern Cyprus: in Girne (Kyrenia) the town festival Fest26 runs until 11 October with concerts in the amphitheatre, and on 30 September the 25th olive festival opens in Zeytinlik. Below: dates, venues, tickets and how to get there.
What's on
Fest26 in Girne (programme as of August 2026): 23 September, 'Lysistrata' by the Istanbul State Theatre in the Girne amphitheatre at 20:30; 25 September, Hayko Cepkin at West Nature Park at 21:30; 26 September, a gymnastics show in the amphitheatre at 19:30; and until 27 September the Müz-Ler art symposium is on in town. In October: on the 10th, Duman (21:30) and Dedublüman (19:30) at West Nature Park, on 10–11 October Geek Fest in the amphitheatre from 14:00 to 20:00, and on 11 October the closing night with Yıldız Tilbe. Concerts are 900 TL, theatre 400 TL, tickets on adatickets.com and biletbiz.com.
The olive festival
The 25th festival in Zeytinlik, a village on the outskirts of Kyrenia, runs from 30 September to 4 October, opening on 30 September at 21:00 with a concert by Yeni Türkü. By tradition the festival begins with a parade from Kyrenia harbour and ends with a concert and fireworks in the same spot. On site they sell fresh oil, olive-oil soap and cosmetics, honey and spices, and show pottery, basket weaving and the old ways of harvesting olives, with folk dancing in the evening. Shuttles run to the village and temporary car parks are opened.
Getting there
For the amphitheatre and West Nature Park a taxi is easiest: the dolmuş (shared minibuses) stop around 19:00–20:00 and the concerts start at 21:00–21:30. Town transport runs to Zeytinlik by day; in the evening it is the festival shuttle or a taxi. The carob festival in Tatlısu (in past years it started in the first days of September) and the eco-day in Büyükkonuk on one Sunday in October have not yet been announced for 2026; check with the club concierge.
Olive festival 30 September to 4 October, Fest26 concerts until 11 October.
The festivals are held in the open air and start after sunset, so after 20 September you need a jumper in the evening. From Famagusta (Gazimağusa) and Iskele there is no public transport to an evening concert in Girne; budget for a taxi both ways.
- Buy tickets for the 10–11 October concerts online in advance, not at the gate.
- For the olive festival, arrive on the evening of 30 September: parade from the harbour and the opening at 21:00.
- Bring cash in lira for oil and soap at the village stalls.
- Get back from Zeytinlik on the festival shuttle, or call a taxi before the concert ends.