The 52nd Greek Food Festival set for 2025 will announce date soon!
* OPEN-AIR FESTIVAL
*OUTSIDE TENTED SEATING FOR DINING WILL BE AVAILABLE
* DRIVE-THRU
* WALK-UP
* TAKE-OUT
*NO ONLINE ORDERING
10:30 am - 9:30 pm
307 19th Street South
Birmingham, Alabama 35233
205-716-3088
Become Greek for the weekend at the 52nd Annual Greek Food Festival will announce the 2025 date soon. The Greek Festival, is Birmingham’s oldest and most anticipated cultural event that offers an abundance of delicious Greek cuisine. The festival has been an act of love from Birmingham’s Greek community to the city going back four generations. Enjoy delicious Greek cuisine prepared by the parishioners of the community and served by them during the Greek Food Festival weekend.
All entrees and desserts are made fresh and they have been for 52 years when the festival began and are comprised of only the freshest and finest ingredients available. Menu offerings include souvlakia pastichio, Greek chicken, Spanakopita, dolmathes, veggie plates, Greek salad, gyros and more! There will also be a choice of homemade Greek pastries including baklava, kourambethes, melomakarana, koulourakia and many more. In addition to the authentic Greek food you will enjoy Greek music, dancing, and a warm spirited atmosphere that embraces everyone as family. Greek dancers of all ages will be performing all three days. As thousands of returning patrons can attest, you will leave a devoted fan.
The open air festival offers free admission. Outside tented seating for dining will be available. Food plates are individually priced and the Greek pastries will be pre-packaged and sold in the food lines. Coca Cola products will available along with Greek beer and wines. Be sure to stroll through The Greek Market Place which has Mediterranean and Orthodox Christian souvenirs. Free parking is located in the former Liberty National parking building located one block away on 20th Street(Richard Arrington Blvd) between 3rd and 4th Avenue.
The convenient drive thru is available all three days from 10:30am-8pm. No need to call ahead and place your order. Our servers will greet you, take your big or small order, and deliver right to your vehicle.
The Holy Trinity – Holy Cross Greek Orthodox parish was chartered in 1906, and is the 4th oldest Greek Orthodox parish in the Southeast. The beautiful and inspiring Byzantine interior of the basilica enhances the Orthodox Christian’s worship of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Self-guided tours will be available during the three day festival and parishioners will be available to answer any questions between 10:30am – 9:00 pm. Please call ahead to schedule a tour for school and church groups.
Since 1972, the Greek Food Festival has greatly impacted many charitable organizations by donating a portion of the festival proceeds to local and national charities. With your help the 2023 Greek Festival will give a portion of the proceeds to Children’s of Alabama and The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama.
Come experience a taste of Greece without the airfare!
STAY TUNED FOR FESTIVAL UPDATES & GET CONNECTED with the Greek Festival on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Dear Visitor,
On behalf of the Holy Trinity-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Birmingham, I would like to warmly welcome you to the Annual Birmingham Greek Festival.
The Greek (or Hellenic) Community of Birmingham is proud to share its Greek culture, heritage, faith tradition, and cuisine with you. Each year we offer this celebration to approximately 30,000 visitors, so that together we in Birmingham can experience a heritage that is not only historically important, but also a culture that celebrates life.
Greece, of course, has a rich pre-Christian history that includes the great epics of Homer and the philosophy of Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. This was the birthplace of Christianity in Europe, when Paul planted some of the earliest Christian communities in Thessalonica and Corinth, which have existed uninterrupted for the last 2000 years. All of this history and heritage is given form—takes on “flesh and bones”—in the rich sights, sounds, and taste of this culture that you will experience in your visit today.
Of course, Greek or Hellenistic culture has never been reserved only for people of a certain DNA. Beginning especially with Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC, Hellenism was the ecumenical or universal culture for most of the known Western world, spreading as far as India in the east. The same is true today. Our community and church is home to Greeks and people from all nations. Everyone is welcome to join us!
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not thank the members of our Greek Orthodox Community who have worked tirelessly for many months to put together this year’s Greek Festival. Their hard work is inspired by their love for their Church and their desire to share their lives, culture, and faith with the Birmingham Community.
Please feel free to ask me or any of our members for help during your visit
We thank you and the entire city of Birmingham for your ongoing support. As a token of our appreciation, we annually donate a portion of the proceeds to local (as well as national) charities.
May God bless you and your families, and I pray that your time with us is enjoyable and edifying.
Sincerely,
Fr. Gregory Edwards
Dean of the Cathedral
Begun in 1972 by the Ladies Philoptochos Society, this yearly event has blossomed into one of the premier cultural events in the Southeast. The Holy Trinity-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral Greek Food Festival is now the focal point for thousands from Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and Georgia who for three days experience the Greeks' legendary zest for life. At the festival you can find authentic Greek cuisine, Mediterranean and Orthodox Christian souvenirs in the gift shop, and Greek dancing.
With your help the 2022 Greek Festival was proud to give $15,000 to each of our charity beneficiaries Children’s of Alabama and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama. Since 1972, the Greek Festival has donated to local and national nonprofits and we THANK YOU, our sponsors and volunteers who help make it all happen.
Since 1972, the Greek Food Festival has greatly impacted many charitable organizations by donating a portion of the festival proceeds which is over 3 million to local and national charities. In recent years these charities have included: Magic Moments, The Exceptional Foundation, The Ronald McDonald House, the Fire House Shelter, Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama, Pathways, Family Connection, The Wellhouse, Jimmie Hale Mission, Safe House, Alabama Kidney Foundation, MS Society, The Greater Birmingham Ministries, Diakonia Retreat Center, Children’s of Alabama, Folds of Honor, The Bell Center for Early Intervention Programs, First Light, Youth Towers, Saint Herman of Alaska Orthodox Christian Mission in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, AHEPA 3 Charities, and Magic City Harvest.
Birmingham's Greek Food Festival would like to thank our Sponsors!
The Greek Festival welcomes organizations and companies that share an interest in building community, food, art and cultural events. The 51st Annual Birmingham, Alabama Greek Food Festival has a variety of sponsorship opportunities that provides great marketing and branding exposure for businesses that would like to to be involved in our annual event and its diverse audience.
The prior Greek Festivals have been an overwhelming success serving over 30,000 festival goers over the 3 day event. Please take a moment to look through the sponsorship options and contact the Greek Festival anytime with questions.
For More Information or to discuss sponsorship opportunities, please contact: Elaine Lyda or Teddy Hontzas
Come enjoy traditional and delectable delights prepared by the Greek chefs of our community and served by them during the Greek Food Festival weekend. All mezzes (appetizers), entrees, and desserts are still homemade, as they have been since 1972 when the festival began, and are comprised of only the freshest and finest ingredients available.
Enjoy the following delicious meals at the festival:
Pitas - Four filo triangles – 2 filled with a feta mixture and 2 filled with a spinach and feta mixture.
Dolmathes - Five grape leaves stuffed with seasoned rice and topped with lemon.
Green Beans - Tender green beans braised in tomatoes with onions and herbs.
Deluxe Plate - Delicious Greek style chicken served with pastichio, rice pilaf, spanakopita, tiropita, Greek salad, and pita bread.
Souvlakia - Marinated lamb skewered and grilled on an open fire, served with rice pilaf, spanakopita, tiropita, Greek salad, and pita bread.
Greek Chicken - Greek-style chicken at its finest, baked and basted with a marinade of olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano. Served with rice pilaf, spanakopita, tiropita, Greek salad, and pita bread.
Pastichio - A wonderful combination with layers of macaroni, ground beef in a Greek tomato sauce, topped with a layer of delicious cream bechamel sauce. Served with spanakopita, tiropita, Greek style green beans, Greek salad, and pita bread.
Veggie Plate - A meatless plate with our delicious rice pilaf, Greek dinner salad, Greek style green beans, 2 spanakopitas, and 2 tiropitas.
Gyro Sandwich - Grilled slices of seasoned beef and lamb topped with lettuce and Greek tzatziki sauce and rolled in warm pita bread.
Gyro & Salad - Gyro sandwich served with a small Greek salad.
Greek Salad - A large traditional Greek salad with feta, Kalamata olives, and Salonika peppers. Greek dressing on the side.
PASTRIES:
Baklava - Layer upon layer of buttered filo and ground pecans bathed in a honey syrup.
Saragli/Flogeres Nut Rolls - Walnuts, butter, and spices baked in layers of phyllo topped with chocolate and syrup.
Melomakarona - Honey and nut cookie topped with chopped pecans.
Kourambiethe - Greek wedding cookie sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Koulourakia - Butter cookies with a hint of cinnamon, perfect for coffee dunking.
Almond Crescent - Almond paste cookie with slivered almonds on top.
Boxed Assorted - An assortment of Greek pastries (Baklava, Saragli/Flogeres, Melomakarona, Kourambiethe, Almond Crescent, and Kataifi).
Loukoumathes - 6 or 12 Greek donuts, fried while you watch, dipped in warm honey and sprinkled with cinnamon.
Frozen Pastichio - Layered macaroni, meat sauce, and bechamel sauce. Take home and bake (serves 9-12).
The Holy Trinity – Holy Cross Greek Orthodox parish was chartered in 1906, and is the 4th oldest Greek Orthodox parish in the Southeast. The beautiful and inspiring Byzantine interior of the basilica enhances the Orthodox Christian’s worship of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Please take a self-guided tour between 10:30am – 9:00pm during our three-day festival; parishioners are available to answer any questions. Call ahead to schedule a tour for large school and church groups.
The Orthodox Church, sometimes called the Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox or Eastern Orthodox Church is the original Christian church founded by the Lord Jesus Christ and described in the pages of the New Testament. Orthodox Christians believe in Jesus Christ as God and in the church He established. The history of the church begins with Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and incredible as it seems, for almost twenty centuries the Orthodox church has continued its undiminished and unaltered faith. Its apostolic doctrine, practice, worship and structure have remained intact throughout the millennia. Orthodoxy is the second largest body in Christendom with 225 million people worldwide. In the United States and Canada there are almost 1 million Orthodox Christians. It is the church of some of history’s greatest theologians, scholars and writers: John Chrysostom, Jerome, Augustine, Dostoyevsky, and Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
Courtyard Birmingham Downtown at UAB
1820 5th Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35233
The hotel has reserved a block of rooms for 2025. Dates to be announced.
Special Code: CORPORATE/PROMO/SET # is UAB Or call the reservation line at: 1-877-545-0308
Room rate to be announced.
