Greek Festival of Richmond
The annual Greek Festival of Richmond, Virginia has been hosted by Saints Helen and Constantine Greek Orthodox Cathedral since 1976. The festival is held annually from May 29 through June 1. The Greek Festival includes a gift shop, dancers, Greek music, and food. There are both drive-thru entrances and walk-up lines available for obtaining food. Performers who have participated at the festival include the Byzantio Hellenic Dance Troupe which do dances from the Dodecanese Islands, Crete, Epeiros, Thrace, and Macedonia. The church also offers traditional dance classes. Through the history of the festival attendance has risen from two thousand to over thirty thousand annually.
Some of the traditional foods available are souvlaki, moussaka, and baklava. Greek wine is readily available by the glass and bottle. In keeping with authenticity, there is also a Greek market called the “Agora” where jewelry, art, embroidery and other goods imported from the Greek Isles are sold. Tours of the Cathedral, whose history dates back to 1917, are also offered. The festival is free of charge and open to all. A portion of the festival’s proceeds go to local charities such as Richmond Hill, Rebuilding Together, Special Olympics, Safe Harbor, and Michael’s Miracle Workers.
Sources:
Greek Festival.com website
Richmond.com website
Profile prepared by Cat McCarthy
April, 2008
