New Jersey's largest Greek festival returns to Piscataway for 50th celebration
Central Jersey residents seem to love authentic Greek specialties like stuffed grape leaves, baklava, pastitsio and moussaka – even after 50 years.
That’s how long St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Piscataway has celebrated its Greek festival, which returns May 18 to 21.
In addition to the homemade Greek fare, there will be music and traditional dancing from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 18; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, May 19; 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, May 20; and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 21. About 15,000 people are expected to attend the festival.
In the indoor dining area, visitors will find dishes such as roast chicken Athenian, sliced lamb and mezedaki platters. The outdoor taverna will feature souvlakia, gyros, octopus, Greek fries, loukoumades (honey puffs) and more. Vegetarian options are also available.
For those looking to enjoy takeout Greek eats, online ordering is available at njbestgreekfest.square.site.
It’s all a massive celebration of “kefi” (“positive energy”) for the largest Greek community in the region, comprised of over 800 families.
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A nonprofit organization, St. George Greek Orthodox church was founded in 1916 to tend to the spiritual needs of the New Brunswick area’s Greek community. It serves to sustain and perpetuate the Greek culture in New Jersey through its youth programming; Greek language and religion classes; traditional Greek folk dancing program; and, of course, the festival.
Go: Greek Festival, 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 18; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, May 19; 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday, May 20; and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday May 21, St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 1101 River Road, Piscataway; 732-463-1642, gocnj.org/news/annual-greek-festival.
Contact: JIntersimone@MyCentralJersey.com
Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey since 2014, after becoming a blogger-turned-reporter following the creation of her award-winning travel blog. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: St. George Greek festival returns to Piscataway May 18 to 21
