Albanian Culture Festival celebrates 40th anniversary and post-COVID return

Veer Mudambi, Telegram & Gazette
Updated ·2 min read

WORCESTER - In a long-awaited post-COVID comeback, Worcester's biennial Albanian Culture Festival is returning Friday through Sunday at St. Mary's Albanian Orthodox Church.

The event's return not only marks the end of a four-year hiatus due to COVID, but the festival's 40th anniversary.

"We're anticipating a huge crowd," said festival chairperson Ilia Terova, adding that food orders for items such as burgers and hot dogs have been doubled and drink orders tripled in preparation for the expected thousands of attendees.

More: Albanian Cultural Festival schedule

Young girls play with their scarves before performing traditional Albanian songs during the Albanian Festival at the 2019 St. Mary's Assumption Orthodox Church.
Young girls play with their scarves before performing traditional Albanian songs during the Albanian Festival at the 2019 St. Mary's Assumption Orthodox Church.

The festival is not only for the Albanian community of Worcester, but those across the country. Terova said that in addition to visitors from all over the northeast, people come from as far as Illinois and California.

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While the 40th anniversary would certainly be part of the draw, Terova said, "it's also a bit of cabin fever - COVID was a huge disrupter in our lives." The festival was originally scheduled for 2021 "which was pretty much smack in the middle of COVID," he said.

A large part of the preparation and running of the event, namely preparing and putting out the vast quantities of food, much of which is made from scratch, involves community members of all ages working closely together in tight spaces, leading to a greater risk of infection among vulnerable groups such as senior citizens.

"A lot of our volunteers are a mix of generations," said Terova. "Kids 10 to 14 help clear tables while the older generations, people in their 70 and 80s, will cook the food so getting everybody together in the kitchen would cause a greater risk than any benefit (from holding the event)."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially declared the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency over May 11, 2023. While cases are still reported, state and federal responses such as tracking and data collection have been folded into existing public health practices.

"People are definitely excited to get together," said Terova, pointing to Albanian Heritage Night, held at Polar Park May 4, which despite the rain saw an attendance of over 200 people from the surrounding area.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Albanian Festival to celebrate 40th anniversary at post-COVID return