Niagara Greek Festival to feed thousands
Thousands of people are expected to enjoy their fill of traditional Greek food and culture in St. Catharines this weekend.
The 12th annual Niagara Greek Festival returns for the Labour Day weekend with a lineup of events designed to highlight the best of the Mediterranean country’s sounds and tastes.
“This is such a rewarding event,” says Harry Korosis, a member of the festival organizing committee. “It allows us to share our culture with the community at large, a culture that we’re very proud of.”
This is the second year the festival has been held on the Labour Day weekend, says Korosis. Prior to last year, it was held the week following the long weekend.
Organizers made the change for two reasons, he says. For one thing, the long weekend “helps give us insurance against the weather.” Also, the idea was to spread the event over more days, with the goal of making the grounds less jam-packed.
That second objective failed, however, Korosis says with a laugh.
“The actual result was the best year we’ve ever had,” says Korosis, with roughly 15,000 people turning out for the 2016 version of the event.
The festival was started after the opening of the Greek Community of Niagara Centre opened on Niagara Street at Linwell Road, says Korosis. Prior to that, the community didn’t have a large enough site to hold such a large outdoor festival.
Since then, the event has grown by leaps and bounds.
“It’s been very well received,” says Korosis, noting those early years saw crowds of 2,000 to 3,000 people. Last year’s jump to 15,000 was beyond expectations and a sign Niagaras are interested in “enjoying some good food, some good drink and some good company.”
The festival is staffed by some 200 volunteers, who spend “countless” hours before the event preparing fresh Greek cuisine, including desserts such as baklava and galaktoboureko and traditional seasoned and marinated meat dishes such as gyros, moussaka and souvlaki.
“Feeding 15,000 people is no easy task,” Korosis says.
The family-friendly festival includes entertainment for all ages and a KidsZone area.
There is also traditional dancing and music, including live Greek music from the Galaxy Orchestra. Dance demonstrations include Kalamatiano, Tsamiko and Zeimbekiko. Guided tours of St. Katharine Greek Orthodox Church are available. An agora market offering Greek-related items for sale will be on the grounds and the annual raffle, with a top prize of $5,000 is also planned.
Shuttle service from Holy Cross High School on Linwell Road is available to help deal with parking congestion on-site.
For more information on the festival, visit niagaragreekfestival.com.