Orienteering, Inclusion and Gastronomic Heritage
On Friday, much of the public programme is centred on Omodos, while activities also continue elsewhere. At Omodos School, two Elevate Your Life programmes run in parallel, including a specially adapted activity for people who are blind, visually impaired or have low vision. In the afternoon, Competitive Orienteering takes participants through the village and its surrounding area, combining movement, observation, route choice and the search for control points.
In Spilia, the two-day Leading Quality Trails – Best of Europe (LQT-BE) training workshop begins. Delivered by the European Hiking Federation (ERA), the European body responsible for the LQT-BE standard, this brings specialised European expertise to Cyprus for the assessment, improvement, and future certification of quality hiking trails. The workshop is the first stage in a wider process of building this expertise in Cyprus.
At the same time, the two-day Taste, Move & Thrive – Troodos Mountain Agrifood Market & Heritage Gastronomy Ateliers begins in Omodos. The Mountain Products and Makers Market opens in Omodos Square, while the Cultural Centre hosts the Thematic Forum “Women of the Mountains: Custodians of Gastronomic Heritage and their Role in the Resilience of Local Communities”, under the patronage of the Commissioner for Gender Equality. Held in the context of the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026, the Forum highlights women as producers, custodians of knowledge and gastronomic heritage, entrepreneurs and active contributors to the social and economic resilience of mountain communities.
Friday’s gastronomic programme moves from an exploration of the olive and olive-oil tasting to a Mediterranean meal built around pulses, wild greens and olive-oil-based vegetable dishes; then to Cyprus’s dairy heritage and an encounter between Cypriot ravioles and Italian ravioli. Contributors include chefs Triantafyllos Souliotis, Stavros Georgiou (Stavris) and Marcello Zaccaria, alongside producers and custodians of local gastronomic traditions.
In the evening, Omodos Square becomes a public meeting place for culture and exchange. European delegations and Cypriot dance groups come together for the Dance Encounter of European Countries, followed by a concert by the musical ensemble Epea Pteroenta.
PROGRAMME AT A GLANCE
09:00–18:00
Mountain Games: A Laboratory for the Future
Leading Quality Trails – Best of Europe, Day 1
Spilia Cultural Centre
09:15–12:30
Elevate Your Life
Programmes A and B
Omodos School
10:00–22:00
Taste, Move & Thrive
Mountain Products and Makers Market
Omodos
10:30–13:00
Mountain Games: A Laboratory for the Future
Women of the Mountains
Omodos Cultural Centre
16:30–19:00
Mountain Games in Action
Orienteering
Omodos
19:00–20:30
Mountain Culture in Motion
Dance Encounter of European Countries
Omodos Square
20:30–22:00
Mountain Culture in Motion
Epea Pteroenta Concert
Omodos Square
Participation Information
Further information on event locations, participation requirements, registration procedures, accessibility arrangements, and the full programme for Taste, Move & Thrive will be announced in the coming weeks.