The Paniyiri Greek Festival is going online, this Sunday, May 24. Australia’s longest running Greek festival will be held online to ensure that eager festival-goers do not miss out.
A wide range of Greek-themed events and activities have been organised to run primarily over a two-hour Facebook live session of the 24th. “This is the first time the Paniyiri Greek Festival has been cancelled in 44 years, and we are determined not to let it pass without sharing our love of food, dance and culture,” said Paniyiri Organising Committee member Kos Kastrissios.
This weekend’s event would have been the 44th annual Paniyiri Festival but was cancelled after consultations with various health organisations in the wake of COVID-19. As well as laying claim to being the country’s longest running Greek Festival, Paniyiri is also Queensland’s largest cultural festival. The festival is a community initiative which is run by the 25,000 strong Greek community of South East Queensland.
The Facebook live session will run from 2pm until 4pm and contain many of the key elements of the usual Paniyiri festival. The session will include Greek cooking demonstrations, live Bouzouki sessions, Zorba dance tutorials and the opportunity to learn about Greek costumes. Participants will also have the opportunity to take part in a virtual tour of the Greek Orthodox Church of St George.
Nostimo Greek Restaurant at The Greek Club, located across the road from Musgrave Park where Paniyiri is usually held, is offering takeaway specials for the duration of the weekend. In keeping with the spirit of the festival, DJ Jordy Gee will also be hosting a DJ session on Saturday night from 7pm.
