Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral has spent the past 65 years welcoming the community with its signature Hellenic hospitality during the annual Phoenix Greek Festival.
The cathedral — at 1973 E. Maryland Ave., Phoenix — will continue that feeling from Friday, Oct. 16, to Sunday, Oct. 18, when it will have handmade pastries, youth dancers in traditional costumes and volunteers.
The hours are 3 to 10 p.m. Oct. 16, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 17, and 11 a.m. go 6 p.m. Oct. 18. Admission is $5, with free shuttle parking from Charles Schwab, 2423 E. Lincoln Drive, Phoenix, every 15 minutes. On‑site parking is $10.
Each booth charges for food. The gyro is the most popular dish, as guests enjoy the seasoned lamb with tzatziki sauce, tomatoes and onions.
“When you come to the Greek Festival, you can expect a little taste of Greece,” said Sandy Meris, the festival’s spokesperson. “Starting with the food, ending with the entertainment, and everything in between.”
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The menu also includes calamari, pastitsio (Greek lasagna), spanakopita (spinach pie) lamb, and loukoumades (Greek doughnuts), roasted lemon‑olive‑oil chicken, moussaka and tiropita (Greek pastry). But the bakery is where the festival’s heart really shows.
“All of our Greek dessert pastry items are made by hand from scratch by our Greek yia‑yias,” Meris said about grandmothers.
“Every single piece is made from scratch by our parishioners. It’s a painstaking labor of love.”
She added that many volunteers spend weeks preparing dough, shaping pastries and baking in shifts.
“We all roll up our sleeves and use the recipes from our church,” she said. “It’s truly a community effort.”
That sense of community is what Meris believes keeps people returning.
“Everyone is working for the greater good to share our culture with Phoenix,” she said. “There’s a real feeling of kinonia — community and fellowship — when you come to our festival. People see it, they feel it, and it’s why many attendees have been coming for 50 years.”
The Holy Trinity Cathedral supports Arizonans for Children, St. Vincent de Paul, Andre House, St. Innocent Orphanage and FOCUS.
The festival also offers vendor shopping, imported jewelry and art, a Greek marketplace stocked with specialty grocery items, and cathedral tours.
“Our beautiful Greek Orthodox Cathedral is open for people to tour,” Meris said. “The stained glass, the Byzantine architecture, the iconography. People really enjoy that. It’s been a very popular part of the festival.”
Every hour, more than 100 youth from the church’s dance program perform in traditional costumes imported from Greece.
“It’s exciting and so entertaining,” Meris said. “People love to come and see that. It’s a wonderful slice of Greece here in Arizona.”
The festival is designed to be accessible for all ages. “We have a kids zone for families with young children, and we have ouzo and Metaxa tastings at our bars. There’s shopping, entertainment, food — whatever you’re looking for, you’ll find it.”
