Tens of thousands will flock to Civic in Canberra this Sunday for the national capital’s annual celebration of all things Greek.
The Philhellene frolics begin in earnest on Sunday when ACT’s Greek community take over the main Harmony stage in Garema Place between 11.30am am to 5.00pm with entertainment to be provided by the Aegean Groove band and the Canberra Hellenic dancers.
Keeping everything moving will be Coffee Club impresario John Lazarou and Bico Athanasas as MCs.
Georgia Alexandrou, vice-chair of the Glendi subcommittee, told Neos Kosmos the organisers’ aim this year was “to give a new face” to the ACT’s annual Greek festival.
“This is an opportunity for our members to get together, to promote our culture and customs to the broader Canberra community, and to show the younger generation to celebrate Greek style.” The 2016 National Multicultural Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary this weekend and is predicted to attract a record crowd. During the 2015 festival more than 270,000 people flocked to the heart of the city to revel in Canberra’s love affair with its cultural diversity.
Yvette Berry, ACT Minister for Multicultural Affairs, said that the 2016 National Multicultural Festival celebrated Canberra’s unique cultural mix.
“Canberrans hail from more than 170 culturally diverse backgrounds. Ours truly is a city that has been built on a firm foundation of multiculturalism,” said Ms Berry.
“From the African Village, Chinese Spring Festival and Pacific Islander Showcase, to the Greek Glendi, ‘India in the City’ and Latin Quarters, [the Festival] will have all continents, cultures and cuisines covered.”
In addition to everything Hellenic, the festival features performances and a ‘World of Food’ fair with a kaleidoscope of cultural influences from Africa, China, India, Latin America, Malaysia and Europe, along with Indigenous Australia.
The Glendi Subcommittee was established in 2013 as an initiative of the Hellenic Club of Canberra which is the Glendi’s major sponsor.
As always, high on the list of attractions will be the traditional delicacies on offer says Ms Alexandrou.
“Don’t miss out on mouthwatering souvlaki, lamb kondosouvli, the best calamari in town, grilled halloumi from ‘the Cyprus plate’, traditional baklava, and of course our famous loukoumathes!”
With more than 120 local volunteers helping at last year’s Glendi, enthusiasm within the ACT Greek community for the event is at an all time high with organisers expecting to break the volunteering record this year.