TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — After a five-year hiatus, Tucson’s Greek Festival is making a comeback this fall.
St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church last hosted the event in 2019 — a tradition at its church site since 1976 — but pandemic delays, scheduling hurdles and a move to a new campus in the Foothills with less space for a festival put the celebration on hold until now.
For the first time, the festival will take place downtown, rather than at the Greek church.
It will be held Friday, Nov. 14, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., taking over Pennington Street and the Mural parking lot at 43 E. Congress St., just one day before the annual DUSK Music Festival lights up the same downtown block.
"You’re gonna see a Greek art installation here, a Greek art installation here," said Peter Anadranistakis, co-chair of the Greek Festival, as he walked through the parking lot.
Alongside dancing, vendors and live music, this year’s celebration will feature "Yiayia’s House" — an installation named after the Greek word for grandmother.
"When you go to a Greek grandmother’s house, it’s generally decorated a certain way. She’ll always offer you lots of food, lots of pastries, lots of coffee," Anadranistakis said.
The festival will also include a performance by Evangelia, a Greek American pop singer.
"She just was a finalist in Eurovision 2024," Anadranistakis said. "We’re thrilled to have her back."
"What I’m really excited to see is people eating, laughing, dancing — just enjoying themselves," he added. "The food is exceptional, and we have some great places here in Tucson that serve delicious Greek cuisine."
Anadranistakis said there will be traditional gyros, lamb, vegetarian and vegan options, tiropita, spanakopita, Greek coffee, traditional drinks and a variety of Greek desserts.
He estimates between 2,000 and 5,000 people will attend, and he hopes they leave with a deeper appreciation for Greek culture.
"We really want to show off how much joy there is in being Greek — through our food, through our dancing and just generally speaking, just for our zest for life," he said.
To help fund the event, organizers partnered with DUSK and Rio Nuevo, which supports downtown revitalization. Anadranistakis said without their support, they wouldn't have been able to bring back the festival.
"Rio Nuevo is about increasing tax revenue. That, in a nutshell, is what we do and the Greek festival is going to bring thousands of people Downtown," said Jannie Cox, a board member of Rio Nuevo. "To do that, they’re going to spend money and they’re going to enjoy all of our downtown, and they’re going to learn things about downtown and they’re going to come back. So it’s a great thing."
Page Repp and John Rallis, the founders of the DUSK Music Festival, helped with costs by providing infrastructure.
"Because of the kind generosity of Page Repp and John Rallis from DUSK, we were able to not have to pay for the full cost of a stage, of lighting, of sound equipment, of security, all of that," he explained.
He said it boosts their ability to economically impact the Greek community — along with the community at large.
"We're gonna be supporting Operation Warm Heart at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, which really helps a lot of kids and a lot of families in need there," he explained. "And, we also have a lot of support for food and those that are requiring food and requiring shelter here in Tucson as well."
Anadranistakis said he hopes attendees get a glimpse of what it’s like to live the Greek way — even if just for a day.
“They’re going to learn how to say some Greek phrases. They’re going to learn how to dance Greek. They’re going to learn how to eat Greek. And they’re going to learn to be Greek for a day,” he said.
While many have heard the phrase “Opa” — a Greek expression used to convey celebration — Anadranistakis wants people to walk away with one more word: philotimo.
“Greeks really display the word philotimo, which is a very difficult word to translate, but it’s really the love of mankind, and it’s also the love of friends,” he explained.
It’s that spirit of generosity, pride and cultural celebration that organizers hope will define this year’s return.
Ticket sales for general admission and VIP are expected to begin this fall.
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Maria Staubs joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist and producer in July of 2024. Her passion for writing and storytelling stems from anchoring her middle school’s news show and editing her high school’s yearbook. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication with a minor in film and media production, as well as a master's degree in mass communication. You can email Maria at maria.staubs@kgun9.com or reach out to her on X/Twitter or Instagram.
