Aug 28–30 & September 4–7, 11am – 10pm,
at the Greek Orthodox Church and Community Centre, 4648 Elk Lake Drive (beside
Commonwealth Pool). ADMISSION IS FREE for the whole community!
Greek Fest 2015, in
partnership with the Saanich Fire Department, will be raising funds for the HOT
LUNCH PROGRAM this year, which provides food for needy school children in the
Victoria area. We are hoping all
Victorians will be joining us this year to support this worthy cause!
The Festival is geared for
the entire family, offering an array of authentic Greek food, deserts, baked
goods, a Greek Deli, arts and crafts, continuous live music and folk dancing from
many different cultures including Greek, Middle Eastern, European and others. More than 25 different groups will perform at
the festival with one coming all the way from Athens Greece. The entertainment will run continuously
throughout the day. The food is also a
very major focus to the festival featuring authentically roasted lamb prepared
according to tradition (not to be missed!) as well as souvlaki, spanakopita,
baklava, loukomades and much more. Bring
your appetite!
Last year’s event drew
over 25,000 Victorians to the celebration!
We are expecting more this year RAIN
OR SHINE under our HUGE
tents! Fun for the whole family! In addition to our Community Day sponsoring
the Hot Lunch Program, we are also featuring SENIOR’S DAY on Friday August 28th,
which will be a special day for seniors in the Victoria area to come and enjoy
the festival while receiving a 10% discount on all food.
This year’s Greek Fest
will also see a return of the Heritage Exhibit which will explore the history
of Greece and Greeks in BC, with some very special attention paid to: a) seaman
Juan De Fuca (Ioannis Focas – The first GREEK to BC in 1592; b) the Greek
seaman Kapiotis who settled at Fort Victoria and married Marrie-Ann, the
daughter of the then chief of the Songhees tribe and had several children. A
granddaughter, Orsa, married John Douglas, grandchild to BC’s first governor
Sir James Douglas; and c) the Greek fishing village that operated some 120
years ago at Johnson Street in Victoria.
Come and learn these stories and a lot more about the contribution of
Greeks to BC heritage.
Festivals have been a
religious and cultural tradition of Greek society since Ancient times, primarily
held to honour or receive favour from the gods or to celebrate the changing of
the seasons, this ancient rite was characterized by music, dance, athletic
competitions, wine, and of course, food.
It was an excuse for the entire community to join and celebrate the
ideals of family, friendship and philoxenia – generosity towards strangers. The
most famous of the ancient festivals was the Olympic Games. And so we bring you GREEK FEST 2015 – an opportunity to share our Hellenic culture with
our fellow Victorians. And when something works, why change it? So, this
festival, too, is about music, dance, wine and food. But it’s also about coming
together as friends, having a good time, and saying, Efharisto (thank you) to
Victorians for enabling us to continue supporting the development of our
Community. And who knows? Maybe somewhere along the line, the gods will smile
down on us too!
The hours of the Victoria Greek Summer Food and Dance Festival
are 11am – 10pm Friday August 28thtill August 30thand
September 4th, – September 7th Labour Day.
ADMISSION IS FREE. Our HUGE tent is set up so you can
enjoy the festivities RAIN OR SHINE.
For more information, call (250) 479-9391 or visit www.greekfest.ca. For more interviews or features please
contact Mr. Michael Ikonomou at or Tim Petropoulos.
