After a two-year hiatus, the Greek Day Canberra Festival made a comeback on Sunday uniting Hellenes and philhellenes in the community’s biggest annual event.
Organised by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, in collaboration with the Greek community of Canberra, the festival is known for attracting a crowd of up to 10,000
This year was expected to be no exception, featuring popular laika singer from Greece Nikos Makropoulos performing live at the free entry festival.
The artist had a successful tour Down Under over the past few weeks, his first post-pandemic, with all his shows in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne sold out.
Makropoulos enjoys a growing fan base in Australia, where he had last performed in 2018, as he is known for having partnered with heavyweights of contemporary laiko, including Yiorgos Mazonakis, Angie Samiou and Anna Vissi.
But beyond the main act, the line-up of Canberra’s Greek Day had plenty to offer, with events and activities held from 11am to 7pm at the Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Kingston.
Canberra Hellenic Dancers were performed throughout the day and local band Kefi along with a DJ ensured spirits were kept high.
Stalls included jewellery, icons and accessories and of course Greek food was in abundance.
Gyros platters served by the Canberra Olympic Football Club were among the highlights, while Greek coffee was sold by the Cyprus community and the St Nicholas Canberra Philoptochos.
“We thought that we’d have one last event before everybody starts getting into hibernation mode,” Canberra Greek Day organiser and Greek Orthodox Community and Church of Canberra president John Loukadellis said before the event.
“It’s not just for the Greek community, but for the overall broader community. Canberrans can’t live without a party, so it’ll be a nice change.”