Traditional music echoed from the live bands, as the aroma of sizzling gyros filled the air. Attendees left their tables to dance in the heart of the venue.
The 63rd annual Greek Festival returned to Sacramento last weekend, bringing authentic food, music, culture and imported goods from Greece to the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church.
Almost 400 volunteers and over 40 booth chairs came together to make the event happen.
Stephanie Hionis, one of the festival’s co-chairs, spoke about the Greek community and the event’s history.
“It’s a labor of love by a lot of people,” Hionis said. “There’s a lot to handle, but we are a well-oiled machine. Everyone joins in and helps out.”
The festival spanned three days and takes place annually. Hionis stated the event gives the community a chance to share Greek traditions with visitors from East Sacramento, the greater Sacramento region and other Orthodox parishes.
“What Greeks are known for is their philoxenia, their love of a stranger,” Hionis said. “It’s their way of sharing food, our faith and our culture with the East Sacramento neighborhood and the Sacramento region at large.”
The festival featured a large eating area, estiadorios, a Gyro booth and various appetizers like meze and saganaki.
Selling out on Saturday, guests could also purchase pastries from the zaharoplasteion, a dedicated booth for little desserts called loukoumathes and a beverage area titled kafenion and taverna in Greek.
The event uses proceeds from purchases to support parish outreach, fund youth programs and local charities.
The festival’s menu included everything from traditional stifado, pastitsio and moussaka to gyros. Visitors could also purchase pastries like baklava, kataifi, kourabiedes and paximadia.
This year, the festival added a Santorini sour cocktail and masticha, a liqueur made with mastiha resin from the Greek island of Chios.
Lois Haradine, an attendee at the festival, spoke about the food and the setup.
“The food was fantastic and I loved the setup,” Haradine said. “It’s our second year, we will come back.”
Alongside food and drinks, the festival curated a miniature market, selling everything from evil eye jewelry and delicate olive oils to signs with common Greek cities. Almost everything was imported from Greece.
Hionis said the festival prioritizes Greek vendors, alongside businesses with Mediterranean influences.
The festival recently implemented shuttles that take you to and from the festival. Nicole Graves spoke about the pros and cons.
“We took the shuttle, but it took almost an hour to show up,” Graves said. “On the contrary, the shuttle service was nice, we did not have to drive or park and made it to the event eventually.”
Beginning in 1963, the festival started with inspiration from a Greek festival in Stockton. Hionis stated the organizers wanted to raise money, and they decided to create an event featuring traditional dancing, pastries and food open to the public.
“Our first festival had an attendance of 300 or 400 people,” Hionis said. “It was a couple of hours in one day, and it has grown into a 60-year tradition.”
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Over the decades, the event moved to a multitude of locations before returning “home”.
It was held at different venues over its 60-year history. They started at the church, but outgrew it and kept moving to other venues. In 2017, they remodelled the church venue and brought it home.
The event was held at Jesuit High School, Country Club Plaza, Cal Expo, Scottish Rite and SAFE Credit Union Convention Center.
“We were at the convention center for 30 years,” Hionis said. “We remodeled our facilities so we could have our festival here, and then we brought it back home in 2017.”
Hionis also spoke about the initial purpose of the event.
“It was a festival to introduce Greek culture to America and Greek food to America,” Hionis said.
