Walk into the Williamsburg Hellenic Center this weekend for an international affair that has become an annual tradition.
The Greek Festival kicks off Friday morning and runs through Sunday evening with food, music and a wide range of vendors.
Evelyn Jones, director of sales for the Hellenic Center, could not choose just one element to be excited about this year.
“I love every aspect of it,” she said. “It’s just a whole other world when you come in. You just feel like you’re in Greece.”
This is her second year working on the festival, which has been in the area for decades. It started in a tent stationed elsewhere in town, and this is the fourth year the celebration of Greek culture will be held at the Hellenic Center on Mooretown Road, where building was complete four years ago this October.
Jones said the indoor setting protects the event from being rained out, and from guests melting in the heat when they might instead be enjoying food and music.
“It’s just a more relaxed and comfortable environment for the attendees and for the vendors. And we get to show off our beautiful building,” she said.
This is the last year the biannual festival will be held in June. Next year it will shift to a permanent slate on the weekend before Mother’s Day in May, along with a fall festival the first weekend in November.
The change nails down a consistent date for the event, which Jones said has moved around in June but conflicted with vacation schedules. She said many people return to the area to experience the sights, smells and sounds of Greece. Setting the date earlier allows visitors and vendors to plan in advance, while also leaving the November festival open for those who cannot make it to Williamsburg in the spring.
Admission to the Greek Festival is free, but vendors charge for food and goods, which will include crafts, jewelry and home decorative items.
There will also be a raffle drawing with a first place prize of $500, where entrants do not need to be present to win. Proceeds will be divided between St. Demetrios Church Building Fund and Wounded Warriors.
The festival is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
To learn more, visit the Williamsburg Hellenic Center website.
