CHICAGO – Chicago’s annual Greek festival is making a triumphant return for its 35th year this August.
Since 1990, the Taste of Greektown festival has been a much-loved annual family event that showcases Greek culture, cuisine and entertainment in the city of Chicago.
Presented by the Greektown Chamber of Commerce, with support from Greektown SSA #16, this year’s festival will take place between Adams and Van Buren streets in Greektown on Friday, August 22 from 4 to 10 PM, Saturday, August 23, and Sunday, August 24, from 11 AM to 10 PM.
The Taste of Greektown Spokesperson and Chamber of Commerce Secretary, Irene Koumi, explained to The National Herald what the Greek festival is all about.
“What we really strive to do is just give everybody a taste of Greektown, so that they can partake in and come back anytime throughout the year and get that same food and feeling of the festival,” she told TNH.
“It is really a culmination of all of these long time businesses that have been open for decades, and then some of the newer businesses, as well coming together.
“We have a lot of artisans, different crafts and olive oils etc. for sale, and there’s something for everyone, really, but the main feature here is the food and the culture.”
Located in the Greektown neighborhood, a dining and nightlife district on the Near West Side of Chicago, the festival will offer live Greek music and entertainment, Greek dancing performances from Orpheus dance group, retail shopping experiences, and a variety of family activities, including games for children, and the annual gyros eating competition.
There will also be multiple Greek restaurants participating in the event, with some being around for the last 40 years in Greektown.
They include 9 Muses Bar and Grill, Athena Restaurant, Meli Cafe, Mr. Greek Gyros, Spectrum Bar and Grill, Zeus Restaurant and Ithaki Estiatorio, which is a new Greek restaurant coming to Greektown in Chicago later this year.
Kostas Vitogiannis, the owner of the Greek eatery known for their delicious and authentic gyros, Mr. Greek Gyros, situated at 234 S Halsted Street, revealed how they have been involved with the Taste of Greektown festival for the last 27 years, and love to participate.
“It feels really great to be a part of this festival – we have been involved every year and it’s a great opportunity to come down and experience the Greek culture and Chicago Greektown,” Vitogiannis told The National Herald.
“We just love seeing the people, and seeing all the familiar faces and the Greeks that come in from the suburbs, and then you have the robust Chicago neighborhoods all coming into the festival as well, so we get a nice mix.”
Koumi further revealed what she loved the most about celebrating the annual Greek festival.
“I love when people come up to a booth, and they try the food and then they come back again because they loved it so much. It’s also always so nice to see new and familiar faces returning too – I am very much looking forward to that,” she said.
“There’s just an energy about it, and Greeks really pride ourselves on our hospitality, we’re known worldwide for that – whether in Greece or Greek-America,” Koumi noted, adding that
“we treat everyone like family, and so we’re really excited to welcome in returning people and see new faces at the Taste of Greektown. We are expecting 1000s of people to come through the neighborhood, as this is really the flagship event of Greektown.”
The Taste of Greektown Festival has a free admission, but welcomes donations towards the Greektown Chamber of Commerce. To find out more about the festival, visit GreektownChicago.org.
