Three in One in the 35th ANNUAL ORANGE COUNTY GREEK FESTIVAL JUNE 21-23

Three-day traditional Greek festival with food, wine, music & dance returns to Irvine

Posted by CotoBlogzz

Rancho Santa Margarita – St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Church  will host Orange County’s 35^th annual “A Taste of Greece”  on June 21-23 at St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church (4949 Alton Parkway, between Culver Drive and Jeffrey Road, Irvine, CA 92604). 

More than 11,000 guests are expected to attend the three-day festival, which will feature traditional Greek cuisine, wine tasting, live music, authentic Greek dancing with lessons and boutique booths reminiscent of the Plaka, a well-known picturesque historical neighborhood of Athens.

The church places an emphasis on "Philoptochos" - also the name of the church philanthropic group - a Greek word meaning "love for the poor," by supporting Kids N' Cancer; an orphanage for boys outside Tijuana, Mexico; digging wells for villages in Africa; building churches and providing medical supplies for church run clinics and hospitals in Tanzania; and much more

Festival hours are 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, June 21; noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 22; and noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday, June 23. Festival admission is  $3 per person with free admission on Saturday, June 22 from noon – 5 p.m. for seniors older than 65 years. Children under the age of 10 are admitted free, with parents or an adult, throughout the three-day festival.  Free festival parking will also be available, with complimentary shuttle buses transporting guests from public parking sites in Irvine.

Greek cuisine and hospitality will be the focal points as the festival will feature authentic recipes for traditional Greek dishes, delicious pastries and a variety of beverages, highlighted with a wine “Taverna,” offering Greek wine and beer.  The traditional Greek menu will include Chicken, Lamb Chops, Greek French Fries, Gyros, Pastichio (Greek lasagna), Loucanico (Greek sausage), Spanakopita (spinach and feta pie), Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves), Saganaki (Greek brandy-flamed cheese), Loukoumathes (Greek doughnut holes), Greek Salad, Calamari and more. There will also be a Greek coffeehouse set up to serve Greek and American coffee drinks in a traditional Plaka setting with Greek dance lessons offered free to all.  The Philoptochos, the church’s philanthropic group, will bake around the clock during the weeks leading up to the festival to prepare traditional Baklava and other exquisite pastries. 

“As Orange County’s largest Greek Orthodox congregation, we are delighted to host a festival that offers an opportunity for the community to experience authentic Greek dining, wine, music, dancing and entertainment,” said Father Steven Tsichlis, St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Priest. “This year’s festival, our 35^th annual, will offer something for everyone with a variety of Greek-themed activities, and tours of the Church to view the beautiful sanctuary that contains Christian artwork done in mosaic patterned after ancient prototypes that are unique in Orange County.”

The  festival is family-friendly and will be lined with boutique shops, a variety of games and a full-scale carnival.  Event attendees can also enter an opportunity drawing for the chance to win one of three premiere prizes, with a Grand Prize of $3,000 and 2^nd Prize of $1,200 and 3^rd Prize of a 60” television.

For more information on the “A Taste of Greece” festival, visit www.IrvineGreekFest.com.