The Bakersfield Greek Food Festival brought food, music, dancing and decades of tradition to St. George Greek Orthodox Church over the weekend.
The three-day event once again gave families and visitors a chance to experience Greek culture through homemade food, music, dancing and church traditions.
“We love families. We love to dance. We love music. We love to be loud. That’s just who we are. And we love to feed you,” said Elaine Solan, parish council president.
The festival dates back to 1974 and has grown into a long-running Bakersfield tradition.
For festival co-chair Annette Londquist, the event also has a personal connection. She said her father was among the people who helped start the festival more than 50 years ago.
“My dad and some of the other old-timers were the ones who created the festival and it was their way of sharing our culture, our faith, our music, our food, our dance,” Londquist said.
Much of the work behind the festival was still done by church members, families and volunteers, who helped prepare food, run booths and organize the event.
Londquist said preserving that tradition for future generations has become increasingly important.
“But 52 years later, I’m thinking, you know, we have to keep this going. And it’s become an event, a yearly event,” she said.
Organizers said they hope the festival will continue giving future generations a way to celebrate their heritage while sharing it with the Bakersfield community.
