It's all Greek to me. Paniyiri, Australia's longest-running Greek festival, is set to delight Brisbane again this weekend. South East Queensland's Greek community will descend upon South Brisbane's Musgrave Park armed with music, art, and the truckload of food that the festival's 50,000 Greek and non-Greek attendees alike have come to expect.
This year's festival includes all the usual favourites: Zorba dancing, plate smashing, grape stomping, olive eating, honey puff inhaling, but with a few special extras. Edmonstone St will undergo an ancient Greek transformation as it becomes a canvas for artist Amelia Batchelor's 3D chalk depictions of Greece's own wonder of the Ancient world, the Colossus of Rhodes, and other famous monuments, like the enduring Parthenon.
The traditional cooking demonstrations will get a celebrity boost, with
My Kitchen Rules runners-up Jake and Elle lending their skills in the kitchen, and putting their Greek food knowledge to the test. If you've seen enough of their cooking on TV, why not see if they've got what it takes to cross over into a dance show, with Saturday's
Greek Dancing With The Stars. The siblings will Zorba-off against
Home and Away stars Lincoln Younes, better known as River Boy Casey Braxton, and Kelly Paterniti, who plays his on-screen girlfriend Tamara Kingsley, as well as TV presenter Kimberley Busteed and B105's Pete Curruli.
If you're a fan of eating (and at a Greek festival, you ought to be), check out the more than 50 food stall pumping out Greek yums, including Loukoumathes (honey puffs), Poura (nut rolls), Spanakopita (spinach and feta pie), Souvlakia (kebabs), and Dolmades (stuffed vine leaves). You're sure to find something to tickle your fancy, even if you need some help pronouncing its name. You can even consume competitively, by taking part in the olive-eating and honey puff-eating contests.
Of course, the whole spirit of the festival is about promoting Greek culture and history, and the Greek Orthodox Church of St George is happy to oblige, with cultural displays open for viewing throughout the weekend. History and culture buffs can also check out the film and lecture program, which runs each day at the Greek Club and includes speakers from the University of Queensland and a Greek National Costume display.
Paniyiri Greek Festival is on Saturday May 18 and Sunday May 19 at Musgrave Park and The Greek Club & Convention Centre, South Brisbane. More info at www.paniyiri.com.
