When it comes to festival food, some events even bring names of participating restaurants closer to musical headliners to increase local visibility. This is New Orleans, after all.
But the Greek Festival is different. The food here comes from the community, not from food stalls. Skewered lamb, an assortment of homemade desserts, dishes with a twist on tradition, pomegranate daiquiris and ouzo his Jell-O shots express tradition and shared heritage. Again, this is New Orleans.
Festival attendees sit along Bayou St. John during the New Orleans Greek Festival at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in New Orleans on Saturday, May 27, 2023. (Photo by Sophia Germer) NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune) Staff photo by Sophia Jarmer▲
The Greek Festival will be held on Memorial Day weekend (May 24-26) on the grounds of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral along Bayou St. John and within the Greek Cultural Center. Volunteers from the church and local Greek community run the festival and prepare all the food.
A complete traditional Greek meal served with freshly baked bread at the 47th New Orleans Greek Festival held at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in New Orleans on Saturday, May 28, 2022 Mr. Stavros Savides (left). Starting at 7 p.m., there will be Greek food and pastries, live music, tours of the cathedral, Art His Market, Greek grocery stores, and performances by Greek His dancers. (Photo: Scott Threlkeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate) Staff photo: SCOTT THRELKELD▲
“They do it with love. They have hands and hearts of gold,” said Alexandra Megiligan, a member of the festival executive committee.
“Everything is handmade and goes from their hands to yours,” she said.
Sandy Bouzon and Helen Malakias, visiting from Athens, Greece, and their son, chef Ilya Malakias, serve fresh baklava at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in New Orleans on Saturday, May 21, 2022. Pour honey syrup on top. Available for purchase during Greek Festival Memorial Day weekend. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate) Sophia Germer▲
It is also passed down through generations. Many of the key figures running the festival’s food preparation are now in their 80s, making them an increasingly important driving force for the event, now in its 49th year.
Rich Greek cuisine
Roasted spring lamb is the centerpiece of the festival. Many of the volunteers who roast the lamb come from small villages around Greece, and roasting lamb this way is a big commitment, similar to the obsession Louisianans have with crawfish boils.
Roast lamb on a skewer during the 46th Annual New Orleans Greek Festival held at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral on Friday, May 24, 2019. (Photo by Michael DeMocker, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune) ▲
The bone-in meat is marinated and slow-cooked in olive oil, lemon, garlic, and oregano, and the juicy, flavorful meat that bursts from the skewer is sold by the pound to eat at the event or take home.
Surrounding the festival grounds are a music stage, dance floor, craft tents, and activities for children. But food is always nearby.
Greek dancers join Timios and the Greek-American Superband at the New Orleans Greek Festival at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in New Orleans on Saturday, May 27, 2023. Festival participants dancing (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune) STAFF PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER▲
Booths on-site sell gyro, calamari, souvlaki, and loukoumades, which are like Greek beignets topped with honey and cinnamon. Combination dinner plates offer a variety of Greek dishes. There are plenty of vegetarian options, and many people line up for the baklava sundae, which combines Greek tradition with ice cream fountain Americana.
Goat burgers and Greek beer are back at Bayou St. John for this year’s Greek Fest. (Photo provided)▲
One of the festival’s most popular menu items is the goat burger, which is back after a hiatus due to the pandemic. To enhance the juiciness, ground goat is cut along with a small amount of pork and served on a Kaiser bun with tzatziki.
Sweets, Jello shots
Fest-goers fill the Greek Cultural Center enjoying Greek food, wine and more during the 47th New Orleans Greek Festival at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in New Orleans, Saturday, May 28, 2022. , sample the pastries. The three-day event will run until Sunday. From noon to 7 p.m., it will feature Greek food and pastries, live music, a tour of the cathedral, an art market, a Greek grocery store, and performances by Greek dancers. (Photo: Scott Threlkeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate) Staff photo: SCOTT THRELKELD▲
The festival also transforms the Greek Cultural Center into a kind of Greek food mart, with everything from containers of tzatziki and red caviar spread to salad dressings and flavored honeys on the table. This is also home to a vast pastry shop with a wide variety of cakes, cookies, and other treats made by local families who support the Greek Festival.
The New Orleans Greek Festival will be selling baklava pastries on Saturday, May 27, 2023 at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in New Orleans. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune) STAFF PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER▲
I often see people buying a box of pastries, tying it up with a string and setting it aside to take home, only to make a second selection for a ready-to-eat treat on the spot.
A variety of baklava pastries will be on sale during the New Orleans Greek Festival on Saturday, May 27, 2023 at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in New Orleans. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune) STAFF PHOTO BY SOPHIA Germer▲
The festival’s theme for 2024 is “Celebrating the Enthusiasm of Life,” and lemons will feature throughout the menu. One of his new desserts is his Lemon La Taifi Ekmek, which is a lemon custard layered with shredded phyllo, cream cheese, whipped cream, and pecans.
People picnic and enjoy the sun at the 47th Annual New Orleans Greek Festival held at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral on Saturday, May 28, 2022 in New Orleans. The three-day event, which runs from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, features Greek food and pastries, live music, tours of the cathedral, an art market, Greek grocery stores, performances by Greek dancers, and more. (Photo: Scott Threlkeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate) Staff photo: SCOTT THRELKELD▲
The Greek Festival is a family-friendly party, but it’s one that brings the local community together in good spirits. Drink stands are stocked with beer, imported Greek wine, daiquiris made with pomegranates (an ancient Greek symbol of prosperity), and potent anise-flavored ouzo. You can also try an Ouzo Jell-O shot for a taste of festival tradition.
Festival attendees sit on the lawn and listen to music during the New Orleans Greek Festival at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in New Orleans, Saturday, May 27, 2023. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune) Staff photography: Sophia Germer▲
This year, we’re introducing Ouzo lemonade and a new cocktail that mixes lemonade and mastiha. Masticha is a liqueur made from the resin of the mastic tree, which grows only on the island of Chios, which has brought many immigrants to New Orleans over the years (a whole cycle of locals).The restaurant is run by a family from Chios. managed).
Cheers with a Mastiha cocktail and say “Opa” to anyone you meet on the premises. Then this weekend, Bayou St. He might feel a little bit closer to the Aegean.
greek festival
1200 Robert E. Lee Boulevard
May 24th 5pm – 11pm
May 25th 11am – 10pm
May 26th 11am – 8pm
Tickets $10, weekend passes $25
