South Australia is only a breath away from the 38th Semaphore Greek Festival, which will be held at the Semaphore foreshore on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 January.

The annual cultural festival, which was established by the Greek Community of Port Adelaide and only last year attracted a record 35,000 patrons, provides a great opportunity to community members from all backgrounds to experience Greek culture at its best over two days, presenting community dance groups, live Greek music and traditional food 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 endless hours to make the festival a success, from the initial planning to cooking traditional Greek food and sweets to serving hundreds of visitors attending the event.

It is this community and family spirit that underpins the essence of the festival, which is without doubt one of South Australia’s largest festivals that always manages to stimulate the interest of thousands of people with its sound organisation and variety of events.

“The festival is one of the most innovative events of its kind and this year, through its social media campaign, Semaphore won’t only attract people of every generation within Australia with something fresh and creative, but it will also stimulate the interest of Greeks worldwide,” says communications consultant Kyriakos Gold in an interview with Neos Kosmos.

“Just in the last few days, Greeks all around the world have been wondering what exactly is going on with the Greeks in Australia,” Gold says about the social media video which has attracted thousands of views on Facebook and Instagram with the all-time classic Greek song Τον Χειμώνα Δεν τον Θέλω, which features members of the Port Adelaide Community dancing around at the Semaphore Beach on an Australian summer’s day.

Taking into consideration the festival’s reputation over the last 38 years and with the help of social media, Semaphore’s Greek Festival is envisaged to celebrate a record year in 2017, making all Greeks in Australia, and in particular South Australia, proud of their ancestry and traditions.

“We’re trying to give a breath of freshness and joy by providing events for young families and visitors of all ages throughout the day,” explains Gold.
The director of the Port Adelaide Greek School, Helen Iliou is also excited about the number of students attending the event.

“We have had an incredibly successful and creative 2016, and now it’s time for the children to put their books away and celebrate their ‘Greekness’ through our amazing Greek music, dances, plays and traditional delicacies of our beloved country,” Ms Iliou tells Neos Kosmos.

Greek Australian journalist and media personality George Donikian will be the MC at the official opening on Saturday night and all day on Sunday to welcome the thousands of people and the members of South Australia’s political elite that always honour the event.

More information can be found at Semaphore’s official website www.semaphoregreekfestival.com.au or on social media through Semaphore’s Facebook page Semaphore Greek Festival and on Instagram @sema4greekfest