Galery

1

After a break of a few decades, Skorpios that has remained in history as Aristotle Onassis’ island is again at the centre of international attention. From now until Friday, it will attract dozens of global socialites who will attend the highly anticipated party to celebrate the birthday of its new owner, Ekaterina Rybolovleva.

The celebration itself will be held on Wednesday evening, and it is expected that Albert, Prince of Monaco, his niece and his sister Caroline’s daughter, Charlotte Casiraghi, and other celebrities will attend it.

The media are hugely interested in Skorpios’ revival. Journalists from Greece, France and Italy have hired boats to sail around the island. According to the Greek TV, Beyonce has already arrived. She is staying in the pink villa and is expected to sing "Happy birthday" to Ekaterina Rybolovleva.

The party will have a charitable nature, as it will collect funds to support local charities as well as for the construction of infrastructure on Lefkada Island. The Greek media recall that immediately after the purchase of the island, the family of Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev met with representatives of the local community and made several donations, including a state-of-the-art equipped new boat for the needs of the Coast Guard.

In order to provide maximum security for their high-ranking guests, the Rybolovlev family has turned to the Greek police. People who are close to the billionaire have asked for at least one policeman in civilian clothes to be at their disposal around the clock. The Coast Guard has requested a patrol boat and divers. According to local sources, the Coast Guard service has been guarding the region around Skorpios since 17 April, checking the yachts passing around it.

Moreover, Rybolovlev’s collaborators have requested assistance on the part of the Civil Aviation in connection with the flights of the helicopters they have rented to bring those guests who have decided to fly to Skorpios in this way.

In addition to the Greek police, members of the personal security of the Rybolovlev family will take care of the safety of the guests. There are buoys around the island's beaches and guards are closely monitoring who is sailing around the island.

Cameras have been installed on Skorpios to monitor the movement in all rooms. Members of the private security guard of the owners are constantly patrolling by cars and motor boats.

According to some sources, oxygen cylinders for scuba diving have been delivered to Skorpios too. So far, it is not clear whether they will be used by the security guards or for fun in the sea.

An article posted on meganisinews.gr indicates that, over the past 10 days, 12 cargo trucks have transported the most necessary things for the party. According to the same publication, more than 100 guests to celebrate Ekaterina’s 25th birthday have booked rooms at hotels in Lefkada.

So far, the organization of the event has involved more than 200 workers who have to prepare the area.

There are three dance floors for the festive night, one of which is on the beach, with sound systems and lighting effects installed. Fireworks were originally planned as well but the organizers have abandoned the idea in order to minimize the risk of fire on the green island.

It is expected that champagne, vodka and ouzo will freely flow at the bars. Thousands of flowers will adorn the roads of Skorpios whereas antiques like old railroad cars, tractors and cars from the 1950s, 1960s and the 1970s are on show in some places.