By Jake Munro
Melina Kokkinos, a member of the Ottawa Greek Fest organizing team, can’t emphasize enough how special the festival she has helped organize is, and how this weekend, August 23-25, is Ottawa’s last chance to really experience Greek life this summer.
“We love to give back to the community, we love to share our culture with others, and we want to invite everyone to have some fun, eat some good food, and live a day the Greek way!” said Kokkinos.
In Kokkinos’ eyes, cultural festivals are a key component to the fabric which weaves Ottawa’s communities together.
“I think it’s really important to keep these kinds of festivals alive, just because it’s really quite the experience to be able to experience someone else’s culture and really learn about their food, their traditional dances, their music, and even the history behind their culture,” explained Kokkinos. “So, having something like the Greek Festival is really great because there’s people from all different cultures who come to the festival and learn a bit.”
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A post shared by Ottawa Greek Festival (@ottawagreekfest) on Aug 14, 2019 at 5:58pm PDT
Ottawa Greek Festival has been running for over 40 years, according to Kokkinos, and the events and entertainment that has helped it achieve such longevity continue this weekend – including the famous Zorba Show. Taking place in a Greek Taverna, the Zorba Show is an interactive show that gradually morphs into a big party for everyone involved. Featuring plenty of dancing, plate breaking, and a ring of fire, the Zorba Show is a can’t miss event in Ottawa this summer. It starts every night at 8:30 at Greek Fest’s 1315 Prince of Wales Drive festival grounds.
Kokkinos lists the Zorba Show as one of her favourite parts of Greek Fest, right up there with…
“I really love our Greek food. It’s so good. Of course, we have our traditional Greek food, which is delicious, but we also have some Greek food that has more of a modern twist to it,” said Kokkinos. “We have what we call Greek Poutine, which is actually fries with lemon, oregano, and feta on top. It’s amazing.”
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A post shared by Ottawa Greek Festival (@ottawagreekfest) on Aug 21, 2019 at 11:38am PDT
Along with fabulous food and the Zorba Show, festival-goers will also be able to participate in some olive oil tasting demonstrations, and a $5 raffle – the winner of which wins two tickets to Greece! The draw happens Sunday. So, folks, come on out and live life the Greek way, if only for a day! Website: www.ottawagreekfest.com Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @ottawagreekfest
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