POCATELLO – What’s been called the largest ethnic celebration in the Gem State will return this weekend to serve authentic Greek food to the residents of the Gate City.
Pocatello’s Greek Festival, which has been running for around a half-century, will take place on Saturday, with throngs of people lining up to purchase food from a wide menu of traditional Greek dishes. Father Constantine Zozos, priest of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church, estimates the festival has 5,000 to 6,000 people attend during the event’s seven-hour window.
“It is the largest ethnic festival in Idaho,” Zozos said.
The annual festival is a decades-long tradition in Pocatello. In 2021, EastIdahoNews.com reported that the Greek Festival had been celebrated nearly every year for the past five decades.
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Some of the festival’s procedures have changed, increasing efficiency and convenience for those who attend and those who prepare the food.
In recent years, the church has implemented a switchback line on East Wyeth Street to help keep it from stretching too far out into the surrounding neighborhood. Additionally, the church added more cash registers to speed up checkout.
And in 2024, the church added a commercial-grade kitchen to its social hall, which is across the courtyard from the over 100-year-old church building at 518 North 5th Avenue.
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But there’s one thing Zozos said hasn’t changed – the food.
“(The food is) all homemade. It’s generations of recipes … and we’re very proud to be able to share that,” Zozos said.
The festival will officially at 11 a.m. and will go until 7 p.m., during which people will be able to buy delicious items like gyros, souvlaki, baklava and more.
Once people get to the serving tables, they’ll find several prominent community leaders serving the food.
“And they’re very supportive of our event,” Zozos said.
And once they’ve gotten their food, they can take it to go, or eat on the ground at one of the many tables set up around the courtyard.
And in between eating their food and grabbing a dessert from a separate serving table, attendees can watch traditional Greek dancing.
“We have around 40 young adults come up from Salt Lake and perform folk dances and performances throughout the day,” Zozos said.
While attendees won’t be able to buy food until 11 a.m., Zozos said people line up an hour earlier than that.
“I would say, come early,” Zozos said.
