Belmont Greek Festival Set for Labor Day Weekend, Aug. 31-Sept. 1, 2024
After the Festival, Take N Bake Orders Open Sept. 3, 2024
The air will be filled with the alluring aroma of mouthwatering Greek cuisine, as the 52nd Belmont Greek Festival arrives in the mid-Peninsula on Labor Day Weekend, Sat., Aug. 31 – Sun., Sept. 1, at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church, 900 Alameda de las Pulgas (corner of Ralston Avenue), in Belmont. Festival hours are Noon-10 pm on both Saturday and Sunday.
Thousands of guests are expected to visit the festival to enjoy wonderful homemade Greek meals and pastries, imported Greek beverages, lively music and dancing, a mythology play, bookstore, church tours, and other activities.
After the festival, guests will be able to order selected Greek dishes through the popular Take N Bake program, highlighted by frozen entrees ready to cook at home, and freshly-baked pastries. Online orders will open on Tue., Sept. 3, on this website, and food pick-ups will start on Sept. 7.
“The food is fantastic,” said Festival Chair Philip Louridas. “I’m thankful for all of our volunteers who have prepared these dishes. The recipes have been handed down over many generations, and it’s so great to see the traditions continue forward.”
“We’re excited to share our Greek culture with the community,” Louridas said, “and we welcome everyone to join us at the festival for some amazing food and entertainment.”
A full array of culinary choices will be offered in an indoor dining hall and outdoor food booths. The marvelous meals will include moussaka (layers of seasoned meat and eggplant topped with creamy béchamel sauce), pastitsio (Greek lasagna), youvetsi (lamb shanks and orzo), spanakopita (spinach and cheese stuffed inside filo pastry), tiropita (cheese stuffed inside filo pastry), gyros (pita sandwich with seasoned meat, tomatoes, onions, and tzatziki sauce), calamari (squid), souvlakia (Greek shish kebab), and plenty of Greek lamb, to name just a few.
For the sweet tooth, there will be traditional pastries such as baklava (layers of nuts and filo pastry soaked in honey), loukoumades (tender doughnut holes covered with honey), kourambiedes (butter cookies covered with powdered sugar), galaktoboureko (custard stuffed between filo pastry), koulourakia (twisty, buttery cookies), and more.
Take N Bake will feature several frozen entrees including moussaka and youvetsi, along with an assortment of freshly-baked pastries.
One of the festival highlights will be the platia, an outdoor village square, “resembling a delightful street in Greece lined with bistro tables and chairs, alongside our popular bookstore,” Louridas said. The platia will feature frappés (iced coffee), baklava sundaes, and Greek coffee.
The kafenion coffee house will offer a quiet, indoor space to relax with Greek or American coffee and yummy pastries.
Guests 21 and over will enjoy a new feature this year, the Mykonos Beer Garden, featuring craft beers imported from Greece, as well as the traditional taverna with distinctive Greek wines, beer, and liquor, such as the anise-flavored Ouzo aperitif and Metaxa brandy. In addition, a wine and cocktail booth will offer imported wines, flights for tasting, and colorful Greek cocktails.
Festival visitors will find continuous entertainment on two stages. At the main stage, they can dance to exciting music by a popular Greek band and watch dance groups perform their elaborate, dynamic steps.
At the outdoor amphitheater, reminiscent of the theaters of ancient Greece, guests will enjoy humorous stage performances based on Greek mythology, a concert by the Festival Chorus and Ensemble featuring Greek folk and popular music, a performance by the Aurora Mandolin Orchestra, and trips to “Andyland” with award-winning children’s entertainer Andy Z.
Throughout the weekend, there will be tours of the beautiful Byzantine-style church, including the stunning mosaic iconography. Other festival highlights will include a bookstore with Orthodox Christian publications, icons, and gifts, plus vendor boutiques featuring art, clothing, and jewelry.
The proceeds of the festival support the many ministries of Holy Cross Church, as well as monetary donations made to local charities. Past recipients of festival donations include the Second Harvest Food Bank of San Mateo County, Samaritan House in San Mateo, Bay Area Cancer Connections in Palo Alto, Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, and My New Red Shoes in Redwood City.
General admission is $5. For seniors and youth (ages 13-17), admission is $3. Children 12 and under are free with an adult. Local parking and free shuttle service are available.
The Belmont Greek Festival accepts only credit and debit cards. Cash can be exchanged for a festival debit card which can be used to purchase food and merchandise.
Pets are not permitted except for service animals.
For more information, explore this website further, or email us at [email protected], or call (650) 591-4447, or visit us on Facebook. Opa!
Thousands of guests are expected to visit the festival to enjoy wonderful homemade Greek meals and pastries, imported Greek beverages, lively music and dancing, a mythology play, bookstore, church tours, and other activities.
After the festival, guests will be able to order selected Greek dishes through the popular Take N Bake program, highlighted by frozen entrees ready to cook at home, and freshly-baked pastries. Online orders will open on Tue., Sept. 3, on this website, and food pick-ups will start on Sept. 7.
“The food is fantastic,” said Festival Chair Philip Louridas. “I’m thankful for all of our volunteers who have prepared these dishes. The recipes have been handed down over many generations, and it’s so great to see the traditions continue forward.”
“We’re excited to share our Greek culture with the community,” Louridas said, “and we welcome everyone to join us at the festival for some amazing food and entertainment.”
A full array of culinary choices will be offered in an indoor dining hall and outdoor food booths. The marvelous meals will include moussaka (layers of seasoned meat and eggplant topped with creamy béchamel sauce), pastitsio (Greek lasagna), youvetsi (lamb shanks and orzo), spanakopita (spinach and cheese stuffed inside filo pastry), tiropita (cheese stuffed inside filo pastry), gyros (pita sandwich with seasoned meat, tomatoes, onions, and tzatziki sauce), calamari (squid), souvlakia (Greek shish kebab), and plenty of Greek lamb, to name just a few.
For the sweet tooth, there will be traditional pastries such as baklava (layers of nuts and filo pastry soaked in honey), loukoumades (tender doughnut holes covered with honey), kourambiedes (butter cookies covered with powdered sugar), galaktoboureko (custard stuffed between filo pastry), koulourakia (twisty, buttery cookies), and more.
Take N Bake will feature several frozen entrees including moussaka and youvetsi, along with an assortment of freshly-baked pastries.
One of the festival highlights will be the platia, an outdoor village square, “resembling a delightful street in Greece lined with bistro tables and chairs, alongside our popular bookstore,” Louridas said. The platia will feature frappés (iced coffee), baklava sundaes, and Greek coffee.
The kafenion coffee house will offer a quiet, indoor space to relax with Greek or American coffee and yummy pastries.
Guests 21 and over will enjoy a new feature this year, the Mykonos Beer Garden, featuring craft beers imported from Greece, as well as the traditional taverna with distinctive Greek wines, beer, and liquor, such as the anise-flavored Ouzo aperitif and Metaxa brandy. In addition, a wine and cocktail booth will offer imported wines, flights for tasting, and colorful Greek cocktails.
Festival visitors will find continuous entertainment on two stages. At the main stage, they can dance to exciting music by a popular Greek band and watch dance groups perform their elaborate, dynamic steps.
At the outdoor amphitheater, reminiscent of the theaters of ancient Greece, guests will enjoy humorous stage performances based on Greek mythology, a concert by the Festival Chorus and Ensemble featuring Greek folk and popular music, a performance by the Aurora Mandolin Orchestra, and trips to “Andyland” with award-winning children’s entertainer Andy Z.
Throughout the weekend, there will be tours of the beautiful Byzantine-style church, including the stunning mosaic iconography. Other festival highlights will include a bookstore with Orthodox Christian publications, icons, and gifts, plus vendor boutiques featuring art, clothing, and jewelry.
The proceeds of the festival support the many ministries of Holy Cross Church, as well as monetary donations made to local charities. Past recipients of festival donations include the Second Harvest Food Bank of San Mateo County, Samaritan House in San Mateo, Bay Area Cancer Connections in Palo Alto, Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, and My New Red Shoes in Redwood City.
General admission is $5. For seniors and youth (ages 13-17), admission is $3. Children 12 and under are free with an adult. Local parking and free shuttle service are available.
The Belmont Greek Festival accepts only credit and debit cards. Cash can be exchanged for a festival debit card which can be used to purchase food and merchandise.
Pets are not permitted except for service animals.
For more information, explore this website further, or email us at [email protected], or call (650) 591-4447, or visit us on Facebook. Opa!