VESTAL, N.Y. (WBNG) — The annual Greek Festival is back for its 52nd year at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation. This year, it has more flavor than ever.
“So we’re hopefully one of the best festivals in the area. I think the best food festival by far,” said Jimmy Anastos, the 2025 Greek Fest Chairman.
“It started small, just a couple guys doing lamb dinners, and it’s just grown over the years,” Anastos said. “We try to come up with different Greek foods to put out there, you know, just mix it up a little.”
The weekend festival runs from Thursday to Sunday and features all your Greek favorites, including gyros, souvlaki, honey puffs, spanakopita and more. While attendees may come for the food, the music could keep them there.
“The Greek music goes on all day, and then at night we have a live band, a duet playing, and then we have the Greek dancers, of course,” Anastos said. “The hellenic dancers, of course, every night.“
A small community, packing a big punch to put this festival together.
“We have a small Greek community up here, and our volunteers are small, but we knock out a big Greek festival here every year,“ he said.
Organizers started preparing three months in advance, but the two weeks leading up to the event are crunch time. While it’s a lot of hard work, Anastos said seeing the smile on people’s faces makes it all worth it.
“Just to know that everyone was happy, everyone came up here, had a good time, and just see the excitement on everyone’s face,” said Anastos. “You know they’re just waiting for that good Greek food.“
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