Greek Fest returned to Fresno with full force at the Saint George Orthodox Greek Church, inviting attendees of all backgrounds to “be Greek for the weekend” from Sept. 15 to 17.

After being limited to “To-Go” events and “Street Food Nights” in previous years due to the pandemic, the 2022 schedule was packed with live performances, cooking demos and dances in front of Greek Fest’s large Parthenon Stage.

Visitors were also welcomed to view the artistry of the church, take part in events and eat authentic Greek food. One of the Greek Fest’s largest draws ”” the Greek Pastry Room ”” saw pastries being sold out by the end of the weekend.

“We baked more than we had ever baked before,” said Elaine Sotiropulos, who helped coordinate and prepare many of the event’s Greek pastries. “We made about 13,000 or 14,000 pieces of baklava [and] 3,000 melomakarona in preparation for this.”

The Saint George Orthodox Greek Church, located right at the front of the event’s entrance featured large-scale paintings on the ceiling and stained glass artworks depicting Jesus with the Twelve Apostles. One painting toward the front of the church features the Virgin Mary with a bright golden halo. 

Each image tells a story, according to festival coordinator Rev. Jim C. Pappas. He explained that the church’s designs are rounded because they are significantly based on theological architecture. 

“So that component suggests that God literally comes down to us and can embrace us, and we can embrace back,” Pappas said. 

Multiple event attendees complimented the church on its beauty and architecture. One attendee, Anne Weaver, said “the building itself is a piece of art.” 

Once attendees stepped outside of the church, they were met with live Greek music and performances. One band that performed, The Olympians, traveled from Los Angeles to perform on Saturday. 

Chairs were arranged around the stage to leave an open floor, with visitors gathering in the center and forming dance circles to the live music. 

Authentic Greek dishes were also served during Greek Fest.

Kopi Sotiropulos, known for being Great Day’s weekday morning anchor for KMPH-TV, is a regular visitor at Greek Fest. Being Greek himself, he recommended visitors to try his favorite Greek Fest dish, pasticcio.

“It has bechamel sauce on top [for] the [creaminess], and then it has this big, thicker macaroni and then the spiced meat on the bottom,” Sotiropulos said. 

Other Greek dishes like roast lamb shank, moussaka, dolmades and pilafi were also sold in the event’s main dining hall.

Many volunteers were present to help run Greek Fest. One volunteer, Naomi Gracias, a biology major at Fresno State, said she has volunteered at Greek Fest two years in a row to complete volunteer hours as a member of the Smittcamp Family Honors College.

Once Greek Fest approached its close on Sunday evening, Elaine Sotiropulos said the turnout seemed to be good for its return.

“People were happy to be here, you can tell,” she said. “So many people said, ‘Thank you for having this again.’ I think overall, it was a good choice to restart and [have it again] in September.”

Dakota Dean, a Fresno State student majoring in Mass Communications and Journalism (MCJ), said that she recommends students that haven’t visited the festival go to “check out the whole Greek culture and see what’s going on. And just have a good time too.” 

Story written by Ramon Castaños and Jannah Geraldo.

Video edited and filmed by Carlos Rene Castro.