Melbourne and Thessaloniki have been sister cities for 29 years, and what better way to celebrate that friendship than with a free glendi.
This Sunday from 12pm to 7pm, Federation Square in Melbourne’s CBD will be bustling with tsiolades and amalies with a program filled with traditional dancing and food.
Around the musical and dancing program, people will have lots of stalls to peruse offering art and handicrafts alongside the river terrace.
You might be a little overwhelmed with the foot traffic on the day, with the Night Noodle Market also in full swing across the river and Christmas festivities starting up around the square.
The official opening and welcoming will start at 3:00pm, where dignitaries like the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, Eleni Lianidou and the President of the Thessaloniki Association, Mariathi Xanthi will reflect on the ongoing history and friendship between the two cities.
This year’s theme will be celebrating 100 years of Thessaloniki liberation, with many local Greek Australians appreciating the reflection.
Organised by the Thessaloniki Association, the festival will see Fed Square transformed into a Greek platia, filled with Greek inspired decorations.
The dancing program is unique, showing the influences of Greek dance and the similarities of other close cultures. Alongside Greek dancing from all over the country, Serbian, Middle Eastern and Scottish dance troupes will be hitting the stage, jazzing up the program for the non-Greek visitors.
Those wanting to show their fancy footwork will be given a chance from 6:15pm onwards as DJ Stelios hits the decks in a three hour dj set.
For more information, visit www.fedsquare.com/events/sister-cities-greek-glendi-festival/