Friday marks the start of the Oakland Greek Festival, a three-day bacchanalia of dance, food and festivities that’s taken place since 1972.
The festival runs May 15-17 at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Ascension in the Oakland hills. Adult tickets are $5 for one-day entrance, or $12 for a three-day admission for those who must try every kind of food.“As we welcome you to this year’s festivities, we invite you to immerse yourself in the sights, sounds and flavors of Greece, and to join us in celebrating our shared heritage and community spirit,” states the event’s website.
There are outdoor food booths and an indoor dining hall serving everything from moussaka to lamb shanks to Greek salad to gyros and souvlakis. And also calamari, loukaniko (sausage), spanakopita, stuffed grape leaves, fried doughnuts with honey, saganaki (fried cheese) and the pasta casserole called pastitsio.
A kafeneon or “cafe-style corner” will offer strong Greek coffee and scratch-made pastries like baklava, sweet-walnut cake and tsoureki (Easter bread).
There are two stages devoted to music from the likes of the Helios Band and DJ G-Stav, and strolling musicians wandering through the crowd. Traditional dancing takes place on all three days and features styles from Crete, Macedonia and elsewhere.
If that’s not enough, there will be cooking demonstrations, liturgical-choir concerts and tours of the grand cathedral. Paid parking is available on-site; pets are not permitted except for service animals.
Details: Festival runs 4-10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday at 4700 Lincoln Ave., Oakland; $5 adult tickets (children under 12 get in free) available at oaklandgreekfestival.com
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