Last weekend’s Brisbane Paniyiri Greek Festival at Musgrove Park, right opposite the Church of St George, saw record numbers of people from all over Brisbane and interstate go through a journey of discovery of all things Greek and Greek Australian.
A celebration of dance and music, a gastronomical tour throughout the regions of Greece and Cyprus at the more than 30 food stalls, a voyage through history and culture rich in colour and passion, were all part of this year’s festivities from the early hours of Saturday morning.
The participation of the people was also impressive at the cultural events run simultaneously at the Greek Club, where Helena and Viki from My Kitchen Rules staged cooking demonstrations, while throughout the weekend a photographic display, screening of movies, and lectures on various aspects of ancient Greece were also options to chose from for the festival goers. At the Church of St George, Brisbane, visitors had the opportunity to see an exhibition of Byzantine books and holy items.
The fact that the Greek Paniyiri, run for a 38th consecutive year last weekend, has become part of the annual Brisbane festivities was also manifested by the participation of well-known identities from the wider community, such as actors Jackson Gallagher and Tai Hara from Home and Away, who presented the Greek Dancing with the Stars event and other festival highlights.
The official opening of Paniyiri 2014 was by the Lord Mayor of Brisbane Graham Quirk, in the presence of other local authorities, as well as state and federal members MPs and community leaders.
Neos Kosmos, through Claire Gazis and Brisbane correspondent John Caras, was also present at the paniyiri again this year, with its own kiosk, responding to enquiries from all of our friends and readers in Queensland and distributing copies of the Greek and the English editions of the newspaper.
The active involvement of numerous volunteers, young and old, from various organisations of the wider Greek Australian community in the Queensland capital, as well as the efforts of the organising committee and its president Chris Kazonis, ensured that the 2014 Paniyiri surpassed all expectations.
