Brisbane is set to break attendance records at this year’s Paniyiri Greek Festival to be held in May. And this year’s celebration is bursting with art, culture, fashion and food for a full weekend journey to the Hellenic Republic.
Paniyiri is Queensland’s signature celebration of all things Greek and it’s the state’s largest cultural festival as well as the country’s longest running Greek festival – an admirable success story for the celebration that started in 1976 when a group of passionate Greek Australians wanted to share their cultural traditions with Brisbane.
Fast forward to 2013, and this kaleidoscopic cultural explosion is now legendary, with over 50,000 Greeks and honorary Greeks flocking to Musgrave Park, South Brisbane every year for the annual Paniyiri Greek Festival. In Musgrave Park 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 – will be performed to music played on traditional Greek instruments including the bouzouki, tarabuka, lira and laouto. It is a tradition 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 TV guests; a world record zorba attempt; grape stomping, olive and honeypuff eating competitions; Hellenic dancing and Zorba Till You Drop. The Greek Club will be a hive of activity with the popular traditional Greek cooking demonstrations featuring Queensland’s culinary greats, and for the first time in 2013, an incredible chalk artist will transform parts of the festival into a 3D art landscape. Cultural films will be screened right next door and the Greek Orthodox Church will conduct tours to the beautiful sounds of the Byzantine Choir.
Now in its 37th successful and exciting year, Paniyiri is a community initiative of the 25,000-strong Greek community of South East Queensland. Funds raised are channelled back into the community via the Greek Orthodox Community of St George, Brisbane’s oldest Greek community established in the 1920s.
Paniyiri Greek Festival will be held on the weekend of 18-19 May, at Musgrave Park & The Greek Club, Edmondstone St, South Brisbane. Entry is $10 adults (13+), $3 pensioners, children free.