South Australia is only a breath away from the 39th Semaphore Greek Festival which will be held at the Semaphore foreshore this weekend on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 January.

The annual cultural festival, which was established by the Greek Orthodox Community of Port Adelaide, attracted a record 37,000 visitors last year and provides a great opportunity for community members from all backgrounds to experience Greek culture at its best over two days, with community dance groups, live Greek music and traditional Greek fare in a family-friendly atmosphere.

The festival showcases and celebrates Greek culture and heritage within South Australia’s broader multicultural context. Many generations of local volunteers, including grandparents, parents and children, dedicate long hours to make the festival a success from the initial planning, cooking traditional Greek food and sweets, to serving the thousands of visitors attending the event.

Considering the festival’s fine reputation over the last 39 years, and with the additional assistance of social media, Semaphore’s Greek Festival is projected to celebrate another milestone in 2018, making all Greeks in Australia, and particularly those in South Australia, proud of their ancestry and traditions.

“We’re trying to give a breath of freshness and joy by providing young families and visitors of all ages events throughout the day, and we are always excited when we see members of our community, Greek and non-Greek walk through our doors eager to celebrate with us,” president of the Port Adelaide Greek Orthodox Community, John Douvartzidis, told Neos Kosmos.

“We have had an incredibly successful and creative 2017 and now it’s time for the children to put their books away and celebrate their ‘Greekness’ through our amazing Greek music, performances, plays, and traditional delicacies,” said Douvartzidis.

Greek Australian chef George Diakomichalis, and Greek journalist and radio producer Theodora Maios will be the MCs for both days with the official opening scheduled for Saturday night.

For those members of the Greek community who are not able to attend, local Greek radio station Radio ENA will be providing a two-day selected broadcast from the main stage interspersed with interviews.

“We are all looking forward to welcoming thousands of visitors and friends of our community as well as members of South Australia’s political elite that always honour our event with their presence”, concluded Douvartzidis.

More information about the festival can be found at Semaphore Greek Festival’s official website semaphoregreekfestival.com.au or their Facebook page Semaphore Greek Festival and on Instagram @sema4greekfest.