Over 1,000 parishioners and visitors flocked to St Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church at St Marys, Sydney on Sunday to celebrate the feast day of the parish’s patron saint.
Following the Sunday service, the church grounds were transformed into a Paniyiri, featuring live music and traditional performances, a variety of market stalls, and entertainment for children.
This marks the first time the St Demetrios Committee has coordinated a festival, inspired by the success of other community events held throughout the year, including the Palm Sunday Luncheon and Mother’s and Father’s Day brunches.
Con Nicolaou, President of the St Demetrios Committee, said the event was a special way to unite the community.
“We were thrilled to welcome everyone to our parish to celebrate our patron saint, St Demetrios. It was wonderful to see so many turn out, not just from the local area but from across Sydney, to share in the celebration,” Mr Nicolaou said.
“We are grateful to our sponsors, stallholders, and dedicated volunteers who supported our vision, who all came together to make the day such a great success.”
Parish volunteers served thousands of souvlakia throughout the day, and the Ladies Philoptochos’ loukoumades were a crowd favourite.
Popular entertainer and MC, Soula Raphy Toumbos kept the atmosphere lively, while the main stage featured performances by Christos Evripidou, Nikos Filippatos, Nancy Karvouniari, and the St Demetrios Sunday School, Greek School and Dancing Groups.
The raffle prize draw, offering more than 30 prizes, generated a great amount of interest, which raised funds for improvements to the church facilities.
The St Demetrios Committee has already received positive feedback from attendees and is looking forward to making the Paniyiri an annual tradition.
