The International Greek Food Festival returned to Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Little Rock on Friday, offering popular Greek foods such as gyros, baklava and souvlaki as well as handmade pastries and desserts.
This year marks the festival’s 40th celebration and the return of commercial vendors offering a wide range of Greek-oriented items and festival merchandise.
The festival also features live performances of traditional Greek dances from adults and children, ballet performances and tae kwon do demonstrations.
Julie Atkins, who attended the festival with her goddaughter Katherine Modlin, said attending the festival is a yearly tradition for the pair.
“We’ve been coming here for over 20 years,” Atkins said Friday. “We usually always get the same thing, but this year we’re excited to experiment with some new foods.”
Modlin said her favorite part of the festival is the live performances.
“I always like watching the little kids doing the traditional dances. It’s always so cool to watch,” she said. “The performances are always worth the watch.”
Festival staff member Kreta Dillon said she’s grateful for the support the festival continues to receive each year.
“My favorite part is interacting with the people. We love the fact that the community comes out and we can talk to them and interact with them. It’s fantastic,” she said.
The festival will be open Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will offer more live performances and traditional Greek cuisine.
Admission, parking and trolley service to the festival are free, according to the festival’s website. Food, games and t-shirts will cost tickets.
For more information, visit the festival’s website or Facebook page.
Madison Herring
Madison Herring is the community engagement reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. She joined the newspaper in 2024 after graduating from Arkansas Tech University with a degree in journalism and public relations.
Dining and Cooking