Arkansans showed up in droves Friday and Saturday to enjoy the 40th annual Greek Food Festival.
After a 2024 absence and pandemic-era drive-through editions, the festival returned in full force with food, music, dance and culture.
The festival, which started in Little Rock in 1984, has evolved beyond Greek food to include recipes and dishes from Palestine, Armenia, India and more of the nationalities represented at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, the festival’s host and one of its main sponsors.
“We’re very rich and diverse and that shows in the cuisines that we serve and the people that come and help us,” said Raja Kassissieh, a volunteer at the Middle Eastern booth. “We have people who are trying our food for the first time … but we also have people who come every year for more.”
The menu included highlights such as Pastitsio, which Dimitra Vasquez, a Greek native and Little Rock resident who has been coming to the festival for years, described as a lasagna made with macaroni. Other delicacies included falafel, gyros, spanakopita, hummus and desserts like baklava and butter cookies.
At the gyro stand, cooks and volunteers let out “Opa!” yells, a Greek way of expressing joy and happiness, according to Mark Hunter, who has been making gyros at the festival since he joined the church in 2004.
“They told me to get started, but nobody ever told me ‘thank you, you’re done,’ so I’m still here,” Hunter said.
A group of children and teens from the O’Donnovan School of Irish Dance, wearing uniforms of dark green with traditional adornments, showcased their talents and were followed by youth and adult groups of Greek dancers, according to an event schedule.
An army of around 200 volunteers from the church and several charities were making food, picking up trash, guiding guests and MC’ing dance showcases, said Mary Cantrell, who has been a key organizer since 1993. She estimates that around 10,000 visitors came to the festival between Friday and Saturday.
She said proceeds from the festival will be donated to Arkansas charities Community Connections, Youth Home and Ronald McDonald House, Cantrell said.
“We’re thrilled we can spread the love that way,” Cantrell said. “It just feels joyful.”
Mary Landfair (center), age 4, performs a traditional dance with her troupe from the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Little Rock during the Greek Food Festival on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
Dining and Cooking