Let’s be honest, we all love a festival that celebrates the unique and diverse cultures in the world. Known for its pastries, meats, dances, and music, here are a few festivals around the UK that celebrate Greek food and culture.
Birmingham’s Mayday Festival
Greek culture and history remains to be popular in the UK, inspiring a wide range of different media. In fact, ancient Greece and its mythology continues to be one of the most popular themes for online slots enjoyed by casino enthusiasts, with games like Age of the Gods: Medusa and Monsters, Zeus vs Hades: Gods of War, Medusa Gems, and Zeus Lightning Mega Reels. These games combine icons, graphics, and motifs of ancient Greek mythology with modern technology, for immersive and authentic gameplay.
It is almost no surprise, then, that Greek festivals are another favorite of the Brits, with many pop-up events throughout the UK. Also unsurprising is that one of the biggest of these annual festivals is located in Birmingham – one of the most diverse places in the country. Hosted by the Midlands Greek & Cypriot Association, the Annual Mayday Festival happens in early May every year, usually on the first bank holiday Monday of the month. The event boasts a wide variety of traditional Greek food like gyros, as well as a range of Greek musical performances.
Greek Film Festival in Westminster
The London Greek Film Festival is into its 18th year, celebrated as an international meeting point for Greek films from across the world. Entries into the the festival must either be of Greek diaspora or Greek-Cypriot origin when it comes to the individuals and production companies involved, or have specific references to Greece, such as mythology, history, or filming locations.
Categories of the festival include fiction feature films, short fiction films, documentaries, experiemental films, video art, music videos, and animation. And, don’t worry, English subtitles are required for non-English films so that everyone can enjoy them. This year, the awards ceremony and selected screenings take place on 21st June 2024 at The Hellenic Center.
North London’s Arts Festival
In 2023, the first ever Greek arts festival in the UK was held at the Millfield Theater in North London. The festival ran across three days in late June, celebrating Greek, Cypriot, and Byzantine music, dancing, theater, and artworks – from traditional folk pieces to modern interpretations. To round off the festival, attendees are treated to a live orchestra and a four-course meal of traditional Greek fare.
Whilst it hasn’t been confirmed that the event will return this year, this event broke new ground for Greek festivals in the UK. Not only did it celebrate the cultural arts of the Greeks, but the wider impact that this has had on society, and the transformation of Greek artistic expression over the centuries. With this in mind, it is hoped by Greek collectives throughout the UK that more festivals like this will continue to pop up in the future.
And there you have it – just a few festivals in the UK that celebrate Greek culture, food, and influence on multicultural society. All that’s left to do is treat yourself to some Greek delicacies and get involved with your local or international festivities.
