Greek Festival at St John Greek Orthodox Church

The Greek Festival has been on my bucket list since I moved to Tampa and I finally made it!!! Three days and evenings of PARRRRTTTTYYYY.
The food was DELICIOUS. Meaty flavorful gyros, luscious lamb shank, killer green bean salad, other specialties and lots of terrific desserts. koulorokia (my fave!!!), diples, kokes, loukomades.
It was great to see Unilocal Tampa Bay represented in the wonderful dance performances that included Tina K. (a.k.a. Tinokios) and Kat. They did sets of traditional Greek dances in traditional clothes and a racier sailor attire dance set. Both were superb. Tina stole the show. ;)
There were also jewelry, t-​shirt, and souvenir vendors. A silent auction. And lots of friendly Greeks. There were church tours and a kids play area. A great selection of drinks, leaded and unleaded, as well as fun bands performing.
All the volunteers did a great job putting on the event.
Opa!!! I should be recovered in time for next year.

The Tampa Greek Festival is one of my favorite events of the year! I have been attending this festival since moving to South Tampa in 2001.
What I love most about this festival is the food. I have tried most of their dishes over the years but my favorite are the Greek meatballs (Keftedes). You can order them as a side or as a dinner which includes rice and green beans.
There is a separate section for pastries and if you have never experienced Greek desserts, you can order the pastry sampler platter for only $ 15. All the deserts are from the Hella’s, which is world renowned for their delicious Greek food.
There is plenty of seating inside the gymnasium and the outside patio. The bars located outside serve a variety of Greek cocktails, wine, and beers. If you need an adult beverage while sitting inside, several of the volunteers can serve you beer or wine from their carts.
The Tampa Greek Festival caters to all ages. There are carnival games and plenty of activities for the younger crowd. There are Greek Dance performances several times a day and bands which will entertain you while you eat. There is also a big raffle at the end of the festival which is normally a cash prize or even a luxury car.
Parking is tough, but then again, this is South Tampa. There are designated lots for parking but be prepared to walk a little.
The festival is run by volunteers from St. John Orthodox Greek Church and are very friendly.
The Tampa Greek Festival is held annually in early November and is a great event to go to if you can’t make it to Tarpon Springs. If you don’t want to attend the festival itself, there is separate parking and serving section for take-​out. Also, starting this year, the Tampa Greek Festival has partnered with Doorstep Delivery to deliver orders during the festival weekend. Get your Greek on and go!