Paniyiri Greek Festival

Overview

The month of May in Brisbane would not be complete without the Paniyiri Greek Festival. From the country that gave us Homer, Plato, haloumi and Socrates comes a weekend of festivities. This year over 50,000 Greeks and honorary Greeks are expected to flock to Musgrave Park to enjoy the cross-cultural celebrations.

More than 30 food stalls will be set up for the festival’s visitors, showcasing the best of Greek gastronomy from the mainland as well as the islands. Traditional Greek cooking demonstrations will be on offer for all foodies to learn the secrets of Greek cuisine. Between honey puff and olive eating competitions, plate smashing, cultural lectures, fireworks, fashion parades, amusement rides and Greek dancing, there will be more to do than time will allow.

The festival never fails to attract publicity. This year, Guinness World Records will be involved, with a planned attempt at the World’s Longest Zorba taking place. Zorba lessons will be available to those wanting to participate. TV personalities George Houvardas and Rob Palmer are set to compete in the festival’s annual Greek Dancing with the Stars competition.

As part of the Brisbane cultural scene for 36 years now, Paniyiri is the longest running Greek festival in Australia and simply a fun weekend out.