The Greek community played a standout role at the National Multicultural Festival in Canberra, with food, music, dance and youth volunteering taking centre stage across a rain-soaked but vibrant three-day celebration from Friday, February 6 to Sunday, February 8.
Despite challenging weather, organisers estimate more than 400,000 people attended the festival, with the Greek precinct – informally dubbed the “Hellenic Highway” – among the busiest areas throughout the weekend.
The Greek Orthodox Community and Church of Canberra & Districts, alongside the Cyprus Community of Canberra and ACT and Canberra Olympic Football Club, operated neighbouring stalls at the corner of Petrie Place and Bunda Street, offering a traditional spread of loukoumades, souvlakia, lamb plates, halloumi, Greek coffee and frappe.
One of the defining features of this year’s Greek presence was the scale of volunteer involvement, particularly among young people. More than 50 youth volunteers – some as young as 12 – contributed across all three days, assisting with food service and fundraising efforts in support of the local Greek Orthodox church and Greek school.
Greek Community President John Loukadellis praised the unity and dedication shown by volunteers, describing the weekend as a collective community effort that reflected the spirit of Hellenism in Australia.
Funds raised from loukoumades sales will be directed towards St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Canberra and the Greek School of Canberra, supporting the commencement of the new academic year.
A major highlight came on Sunday afternoon with the Greek Glendi at the Garema Place Stage, which drew large crowds for an energetic program of live Greek music, traditional dancing and audience participation. The event was hosted by MC Yianni Lazarou, with performances by the Canberra Hellenic Dancers and popular features including the loukoumades eating competition.
Community organisers said the Glendi captured the essence of Greek culture, showcasing music, dance, food, kefi and philotimo to festivalgoers from across Australia’s multicultural capital.
Organisers added that the strong turnout reaffirmed the enduring appeal of Greek culture within Canberra’s multicultural landscape, with plans already underway for next year’s festival.
