NEW YORK – The annual Greek Festival on the Harbor is making a return next week at North Hempstead Beach Park in Port Washington,
Held for its 14th year, the highly anticipated event hosted by Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church, promises four days of family-friendly fun, with an offering of Greek cuisine, live music, carnival rides, activities, and various vendors to check out from Thursday, September 25 to Sunday, September 28.
A spokesperson spoke with TNH and revealed why the Festival is such a significant event for the Greek community of Port Washington.
“The Festival is important because it displays our heritage, our culture, our food, and our music to the surrounding communities,” the spokesperson told TNH.
“It is a big fundraiser for our church, which keeps our ministries going, as we are a growing church in Port Washington.”
Known for drawing in thousands of guests every year, the spokesperson revealed that in the past, “on a Saturday night, we’ve had between 20,000 and 30,000 people attend.”
The spokesperson further explained some of the food on offer that people can expect at this year’s event.
“We will be selling things like traditional Greek souvlakia, gyros, we will have tiropita, spanakopita, pastitsio, moussaka, Greek salad, French fries, hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers. And then from desserts, we have the traditional baklava, galaktoboureko, kataifi, kourabiedes, melomakarona…then we will serve things like coffee, teas, hot chocolate, Greek frappe, beers and Greek wines.”
When asked about what vendors can be expected, TNH was told there will be people selling anything from jewelry and accessories, to clothing, Greek, olive oil, honey, and herbs.
“There’s going to be quite a variety of things available for purchasing,” the spokesperson stated.
This Festival is known for the large-scale cooking it does to wow its Greek and non-Greek crowds who want to experience a taste of Greece.
According to the Greek Festival on the Harbor’s Facebook page, the Festival makes more than 60,000 loukoumades every year, more than 4,000 gyros, and uses more than 500 pounds of flour to make the Greek biscuits it has on offer, including kouriabiethes and melomakarona.
The Greek Festival on the Harbor will be held on Thursday, September 25, from 5-9 PM, Friday, September 26, from 4-11 PM, Saturday, September 27, from 12 noon -11 PM, and on Sunday, September 28, from 12 noon to 8 PM.
Admission to the Festival is free, however children’s amusements and food will need to be purchased.
In addition to the usual event proceedings, the Greek Festival on the Harbor will also host Special Needs Sunday, on its final day. This invites children, families, and individuals with special needs to explore the festival from 11 AM to 12 PM, without crowds and lengthy queues. There will also be an annual
Super Raffle drawn on that same evening, where the winner will receive a brand-new Mercedes car.
To find out more about the Festival, visit the Greek Festival on the Harbor event page on Facebook.
