ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — This weekend marks the return of the annual Asheville Greek Festival, a celebration of Greek food, culture and faith. The festival will held at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in the Montford neighborhood of North Asheville.

What to expect at Asheville Greek Festival

The arrival of Hurricane Helene canceled last year’s Greek Festival, but this year, the festival will not only go on, but be held on the one year anniversary of Helene hitting Western North Carolina.

The event will run from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Sept. 26-27, at Holy Trinity Church, 227 Cumberland Ave. Festival tickets cost $5 at the door and are free for children age 12 and under.

Several traditional Greek dishes will be served inside The Hellenic Center at the fest, including chicken and pistachio and Greek pastries, and a Greek gyro grill will be serving up hot meat and pita outside. Visitors who wish to learn about the making of the food as much as they enjoy eating it can also attend several live cooking demonstrations.

These traditional Greek outfits hang labeled with their region of origin in one of the Holy Trinity classrooms.

One of the most exciting displays of Greek culture at the festival are traditional Greek dances, which will be performed this year to the live music of the Marinos Loumis Band. Dances are scheduled for 4:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Friday and noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Other staples of the festival include tours of Holy Trinity Church, introduction lessons about Greek Orthodox iconography and an Agora, or Greek marketplace, which will be filled with local Asheville vendors and wares directly from Greece itself.

For everything the festival has to offer, visit www.avlgreekfest.com.

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church stands before the expanse of the heavens.

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