The warmth of Balkan friendship and culture was on full display last Sunday, 14 September 2025, as the Greek and Serbian communities of Sydney came together for the 31st Annual Greek-Serbian Orthodox & Cultural Friendship Day.
The event, held at the Serbian Orthodox Parish-Community of St Archdeacon Stefan in Rooty Hill, has been running since 1993 and has become a cornerstone of community life each September.
What began as a small gathering three decades ago has grown into a major cultural celebration, drawing hundreds of Greeks, Serbs and friends from across New South Wales.
From History to Tradition
This year’s festival was the longest ever staged, with festivities running from 1:00 pm to 7:30 pm. The parish hall was adorned with flags of Greece, Cyprus and Serbia, while the atmosphere was charged with kefi and camaraderie.
Beyond the music and dancing, the event carries a deep historical resonance. During the turbulent years of the 1990s, when civil wars tore apart the former Yugoslavia, Greeks from Greece, Cyprus and the diaspora rallied to support their Serbian co-religionists. Families across Macedonia, Thrace, Thessaly, Epirus, Athens, the Peloponnese, the islands and Cyprus opened their homes to orphaned Serbian children, offering shelter and comfort at a time of immense suffering.
That solidarity has never been forgotten. As one Serbian community leader noted, “The help of the Greeks is deeply engraved in the soul of the Serbian people and of the diaspora.”
Faith and Diplomacy
The day began with a Divine Liturgy presided by Father Aleksandar Ivanovic. Following the service, crowds gathered in the adjoining hall where the programme commenced with the national anthems of Australia, Greece and Serbia.
Diplomatic guests included Cyprus High Commissioner Antonios Sammoutis, the new Consul of Serbia in Sydney, Perica Nikolic, Vice-Consul Borisav Petkovic, and Athanasios Lambrou representing Greece’s newly arrived Consul General. In their addresses, they emphasised the shared history, Orthodox faith and struggles for freedom that continue to unite Greeks and Serbs.
Music, Dance and Colour
The entertainment that followed was nothing short of spectacular. For seven hours, audiences were treated to a multi-ethnic Balkan extravaganza, presented in Serbian, Greek and English by long-time MC Dimitris Kametopoulos and newcomer Miroslav Lojanica.
Greek groups performed in dazzling succession:
- The Cypriot Community of NSW, presenting traditional island dances.
- The Canberra Hellenic Dancers, making their debut with robust Macedonian routines.
- The Kimata (Waves) Greek dancing group, with very traditional Cypriot dances.
- The much-loved Sizmos group, with songs from classic Greek cinema.
- Pontoxeniteas NSW, complete with live lyra and drum.
- The Sydney Greek Dance School, bringing the flavour of the Aegean.
- The Hellenic Lyceum of Sydney, with stirring Epirotic dances.
- And the Cretan Association of Sydney and NSW, closing with the energy and spirit of Crete.
Serbian ensembles impressed with their speed, colourful costumes and traditional tunes from Vojvodina, central Serbia, Sumadija and Kosovo, while the Sydney Bulgarian Rhythms group added further vibrancy with folk dances from Pirin and Thrace.
Applause was thunderous after every performance, with audience members often rising to their feet in ovation.
A Living Bond
As the evening drew to a close, many stayed on to dance to Serbian and Greek songs, rounding off what organisers hailed as the largest and longest celebration in the event’s history, featuring nearly 40 performing groups — a record.
For three decades, this gathering has symbolised the enduring friendship between Greeks and Serbs in Australia. That bond was reaffirmed once more in Rooty Hill, with organisers already setting the date for next year’s milestone: Sunday, 20 September 2026, when the communities will celebrate the 32nd Annual Day of Friendship.
Until then, the spirit of solidarity and mutual respect between the two diasporas remains an example for others in multicultural Australia.
