My first time attending Greensboro’s Greek Festival was also my first time trying a gyro, a type of Greek street food described by the festival’s menu as seasoned beef and lamb, served with tzatziki sauce, lettuce, fresh diced tomatoes and wrapped in warm pita bread.

The pita was warm and soft, the tzatziki — a cucumber and yogurt-based sauce — was creamy and garlicky, the meat was immensely flavorful, and watching the chefs shave thick slices of meat from a spinning roast enchanted my 10-year-old self. I was immediately hooked.

That was six years ago. Since then, gyros have become one of my favorite foods, and I have returned to the Greek Festival every year possible, including during 2020 and 2021, when the COVID pandemic curtailed the festival to just a drive-through serving a pared-down menu.

Held Sept. 22 and 23, the festival, hosted by the Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church, offers Greensboro’s residents an authentic Greek cultural experience, complete with dancing, beer, wine, pastries, traditionally prepared coffee and of course, gyros. 

I went on the night of Friday the 22nd, and was blown away by the attendance. I had never seen the festival so crowded before. The line for food stretched from the fellowship hall of the church, converted to a temporary dining room, all the way out the doors, and wrapped around the field where the festival was held.

This was a far cry from the attendance I had seen in previous years. In 2019, the last year before the pandemic dramatically altered the festival, food was served from a single 10 feet by 10 feet tent backing up to a food truck, and one only had to stand in line for around five minutes before being served.

Now, all food is cooked in house, with weeks of preparation preceding the event, according to the festival’s Facebook page. An industrial kitchen churns out whole roasted chicken, lamb shanks, salads, spinach pie and souvlaki-braised chicken on pita — among other offerings. Pastries are sold for $18 per half dozen, and outside, one can buy beer, wine, hot or frozen coffee and loukoumades, which are small donuts covered in honey and cinnamon.

I had to wait in line for 40 minutes to get into the fellowship hall/dining room, where I bought a gyro and dolmas — small savory appetizers of rice wrapped in pickled grape leaves. I got my food and then went back outside to buy a pagoto frappe, which is whipped instant coffee served over ice and a scoop of ice cream, merging the Italian affogato — espresso over ice cream — with Greek coffee traditions. 

The food was delicious but expensive. With a gyro and dolmas both costing $10, $8 for coffee and $18 for a box of assorted pastries I bought to take home and share with my friends, I spent $46 dollars: the equivalent of four hours of working at my low-paying food service job. 

However, for a once-a-year expenditure, I was happy to pay that amount because I knew it would support the Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church, which would eventually give the money back to the community. For example, the church hosts an annual school supplies donation drive for children in need, and it also donates to food banks and projects such as Out of the Garden, according to its monthly bulletin for August 2023. In fact, the annual Greek Festival itself helps raise money and gather donations for local food banks, since admission can either be paid in $2 cash or with two cans of food. 

Overall, the Greek Festival is an excellent addition to Greensboro’s community and a very fun event to attend. The good food, live entertainment provided by parish members skilled in folk dancing and the noble cause the festival supports all make it a worthwhile way to spend the day. 

The festival will be held again in September 2024. For more information, visit the festival’s website, greensborogreekfestival.com/, or the webpage of the Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church.