The story
Buffer Fringe Performing Arts Festival in Nicosia
Buffer Fringe Performing Arts Festival, staged in and around Nicosia's demilitarised buffer zone since 2014 by the Home for Cooperation, showcases experimental performance work by Greek Cypriot, Turkish Cypriot and international artists specifically to bridge Cyprus's political division through cultural exchange. Now biennial since 2023, the festival's next confirmed edition runs in early October.
Nicosia's buffer zone, the demilitarised strip dividing the city's Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, provides both the setting and the organising premise for Buffer Fringe, a performing arts festival run by the Home for Cooperation specifically to bridge that divide through artistic expression, cultural exchange and dialogue rather than staging performances that happen to occur near the boundary incidentally.