Spring in lowland Cyprus smells of citrus. By April, as a Cyprus Mail gardening column put it, citrus blossom in the orchards is drawing the bees to pollinate its scented flowers. Here is where to find the groves, and the village festivals that celebrate the blossom and the fruit.
The one festival built around the blossom itself is the Festival of the Kitromilia Blossom in Episkopi, about 12 km west of Limassol. Kitromilo is the Cypriot name for the bitter orange, and the festival, run by the independent group EpiDrasi, celebrates the tree and its flowers on an April weekend in Eleftherias Square. Its 9th edition was held on 4 and 5 April 2026, so look out for the next date in early spring.
At Phassouri, beside the Akrotiri salt lake about 11 km west of Limassol, are the groves of The Cyprus Phassouri Plantations, founded in 1933 as the Cyprus Palestine Plantations company to reclaim the marshy land next to the lake, with eucalyptus planted to help drain it, and renamed in 1974. It grows mainly grapefruit, oranges and lemons, plus the Mandora and Minneola varieties. It is a working farm rather than an attraction, so the way to see the groves is in passing, on the roads around Phassouri, and April is the month for the blossom.
In Paphos district, Miliou, a small village surrounded by citrus groves and vineyards, holds an Orange Festival every September in Agias Paraskevis square, with fresh fruit and juice, liqueurs, jams and sweets made from oranges, and an orange-flavoured beer. Heartland of Legends, the Deputy Ministry of Tourism's rural route, lists it with the numbers +357 26 632645 and +357 99 450394 for the date.
Lemons have festivals too, kept alive by refugees. Lapithos and Karavas, neighbouring towns on the north coast, have been in the Turkish occupied north since 1974, and their displaced communities hold their lemon celebrations in the free areas. The Lapithos Lemon and Folk Arts Festival, titled 'Lemon Scent, Roots of Culture', is on Sunday 11 October 2026 at 15:30 in Episkopeio, south-west of Nicosia, with free entry, and the Karavas refugee association's Lemon Dance, held for the 40th year in 2026, includes its well-known contest in which couples dance with a lemon held between their foreheads.
In Cypriot kitchens the blossom becomes anthonero, a distillate of citrus flowers used to flavour traditional sweets, and the bitter orange itself goes into glyko kitromilo, a bittersweet spoon sweet, and kitromilada, a squash for diluting with cold water; the Cyprus Food Museum records all three. For the blossom, plan an April visit; the groves are private farms, so enjoy the scent from the road and leave the fruit on the trees.
For those considering making Cyprus their home, the citrus bloom is just one of many natural wonders that the island has to offer. The combination of a favourable climate, rich culture, and welcoming communities makes Cyprus an attractive destination for relocation. If you are contemplating a move, consider seeking relocation help to navigate the logistical aspects of settling in this Mediterranean paradise.
