A Taste of Greece Festival

Orange County’s 36^thannual“A Taste of Greece”festival will be held onJune 27-29at St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church.More than 11,000 guests are expected to attend the three-day festival, which will feature traditional Greek cuisine, wine tasting, live music, authentic Greek dancing with lessons and boutique booths reminiscent of the Plaka, a well-known picturesque historical neighborhood of Athens.

Festival hours are5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, June 27; noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 28; and noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday, June 29.Festival admission is just $3 per person with free admission onSaturday, June 28 from noon 5 p.m.for seniors older than 65 years. Children under the age of 10 are admitted free (with parents or an adult) throughout the three-day festival.Free festival parking will also be available, with complimentary shuttle buses transporting guests from public parking sites in Irvine.

Greek cuisine and hospitalitywill bethe focal points as the festival will feature authentic recipes for traditional Greek dishes, delicious pastries and a variety of beverages, highlighted with a wine “Taverna,” offering Greek wine and beer. The traditional Greek menu will include Chicken, Lamb Chops, Greek French Fries, Gyros, Pastichio (Greek lasagna), Loucanico (Greek sausage), Spanakopita (spinach and feta pie), Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves), Saganaki (Greek brandy-flamed cheese), Loukoumathes (Greek doughnut holes), Greek Salad, Calamariand more. There will also be aGreekcoffeehouse set up to serve Greek and American coffee drinks in a traditional Plaka setting with Greek dance lessonsoffered free to all. The Philoptochos, the church’s philanthropic group, will bake around the clock during the weeks leading up to the festival to prepare traditional Baklava and other exquisite pastries.

“As Orange County’s largest Greek Orthodox congregation, we are delighted to host a festival that offers an opportunity for the community to experience authentic Greek dining, wine, music, dancing and entertainment,” said Father Steven Tsichlis, St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Priest. “This year’s festival, our 36^thannual, will offer something for everyone with a variety of Greek-themed activities, and tours of the Church to view the beautiful sanctuarythat containsChristian artwork done in mosaicpatterned after ancient prototypes that are unique in Orange County.”

A family-friendly affair, the festival will be lined with boutique shops, a variety of games and a full-scale carnival. Event attendees can also enter an opportunity drawing for the chance to win one of three premiere prizes, with a Grand Prize of $3,000 and 2^ndPrize of $1,200 and 3^rdPrize of a 60″ television.