The Paniyiri Greek Festival weekend will be held in Brisbane this weekend.
“Take the Journey” is the theme of this year’s paniyiri, as it was in 1976. That year a group of passionate Greek Australians wanted to share their cultural traditions with Brisbane and take the city on a journey; a journey of discovery, a celebration of dance and music, a gastronomical tour through secret recipe books, a voyage through history rich in colour and passion.
Now some 36 years later, that journey has become a kaleidoscopic cultural explosion that is now legendary in the country’s North, with over 50,000 Greeks and honorary Greeks flocking to Musgrave Park, South Brisbane every year for the annual Paniyiri Greek Festival.
More than 30 food stalls will showcase the tastes, recipes and secrets of food from all corners of Greece while on the main stage famous Greek dances the Zorba, Sirto, Kalamatiano and Sousta, performed to music on traditional Greek instruments including the bouzouki, tarabuka, lira and laouto are enjoyed by Greeks and non-Greeks alike in a wonderful cross cultural celebration.
The Paniyiri Main Stage in Musgrave Park will host over 20 hours of entertainment over the weekend including the return of Greek Dancing with the Stars with special guests George Houvardas who plays Nick ‘Carbo’ Karandonis in Channel Seven’s Packed to The Rafters and Rob Palmer from Channel Seven’s Better Homes and Gardens; a world record Zorba attempt; grape stomping, olive and honey puff eating competitions; Hellenic dancing and Zorba Till You Drop. The Greek Club will be a hive of activity with the popular Greek Cooking Demonstrations featuring Queensland’s culinary greats, plus the screening of cultural films.
Just next door, the Greek Orthodox Church will conduct tours to the beautiful sounds of the Byzantine Choir.
While the historic steps of the Acropolis may be some 15,000km from the grassy flats of Brisbane’s Musgrave Park, all the sights, sounds, characters and culture from the country which produced Homer, haloumi, honey puffs, Socrates, Plato and the famous Zorba will be celebrated in style during the much anticipated festival.
Paniyiri is Queensland’s signature celebration of all things Greek and the state’s largest cultural festival.
The event will be held from Saturday 19 May 19 and Sunday 20 May 20 at Musgrave Park and The Greek Club, Edmondstone Street in South Brisbane. Entry is $10 for adults, $2 for aged pensioners and children are free.