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60th annual Tacoma Greek Festival celebrates food, culture
It’s all Greek, all the time—even if you don’t have Grecian roots! Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church played host to the Tacoma Greek Festival.
TACOMA, Wash. - It’s all Greek, all the time—even if you don’t have Grecian roots! Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church played host to the Tacoma Greek Festival.
This year marks the 60th annual celebration, and featured hundreds of volunteers and a weekend of revelry with loads of spanakopita, souvlaki and baklava.
"You do not need to be Greek to enjoy this festival," said volunteer Helen Zorzakis McClure. "You just need to love people and love food. If you like those two things, you are in and we love you!"
Thousands of people showed up for the three-day festival. One look around the festival, and it was clear to see the food was a big hit.
"Our volunteers really make this happen," added Zorzakis McClure. "We have the best people on earth.
The festival took months to prepare for.
Mike Wilen has been volunteering at the festival for 10 years.
"I’m making loukoumades," he said. "I’ve perfected it over the years. So far, I’ve made about 800 of these today alone."
The fried dough ball dessert is a crowd favorite. So is the baklava.
"If you like the baklava," said Zorsakis McClure, "you better get it quickly, because it is almost gone."
While the food was plentiful, there was also culture on full display, including traditional Greek dancing and jewelry.
"The people are beautiful," said Jessica Creso. "The connection, the hugs, it's amazing, and the food is marvelous."
Over the years, the festival has grown in size, according to organizers.
"We used to have to cram everything inside the church," said Tony Panagiotu. "Now you can see how big things have gotten. This really is about community and sharing culture. Everyone becomes Greek after a while, at least for the weekend!"