Greek Festival 2015

I look forward to the Greek Fest each August. The McCoy Pavilion at the Ala Moana Beach Park is the perfect venue. There’s food, entertainment, and crafts. The auditorium (nicely air-​conditioned) has a schedule of cultural dances, travel lectures, and cooking demonstrations.
But for me, it’s about eating something. I will stand in line for the gyros, no matter what. Having it there at the festival with the music and energy is amazing. Wash it down with an ice cold Mythos.
Looking forward to next year. Opa!

I’m a huge fan of the Greekfest and look out for it every year. Real authentic gyro, Greek beer & wine, music & crowds galore… OPA! It’s what I imagine a Greek celebration to be. I got super lucky & won some Unilocal tickets to the event [thanks Unilocal Hawaii!] again this year so boyfriend & I prepared for our Greek fun. I always buy an extra beer to make up for the free tickets; I appreciate all the workers who participate in the event.
The event is never huge & but there’s still lots of fun activities and things to purchase. There’s usually live music & dancing, some games & art for the kiddies, cooking demonstrations, etc. Food both savory and sweet don the booths with tastings like spanakopita, gyro, dolmades [stuffed grape leaves], sorbets & pastries like baklava & donuts. Some booths offer full trays of food as a complete meal while other have more ala carte options. I’ll admit it’s easy to spend way too much money here because you want to sample a variety of things… And I mean, that Greek beer is good! This year we knew exactly what we wanted: gyros, beers and the malasada like donut bites covered in honey & sugar with sorbet. The gyro here is something I look forward to and crave. There’s something amazing about watching them cut the meat off the spinning sticks & make our food. Onions, tomato, tzatziki wrapped up perfectly. Yum! The sweet puffed up donuts were a perfect wrap up with our light beers that are almost refreshing in the heat.
We were happy it seemed like there was more seating and shady spots this year which allowed us to relax a bit more. Thank you again for the tickets Unilocal!We had a fun afternoon filled with culture & delicious food.

Thank you for the free tickets, Unilocal!I only have three goals when it comes to the Greek Festival: gyros, baklava, and shaaade. The flavored lemonade is just a refreshing plus.
I liked the slight change in set-​up this year. There were more pop-​up tent booths and tables with chairs near the front entrance, which cleared up foot traffic in the covered areas. The kiddo craft centers also seemed new and family-​friendly (and away some from the outright boozers), so that’s a nice addition. The gyro line is still long and mostly exposed to the glaring sun (for us day festival trekkers). If it could be split into two booths somehow, that could be a time (and sunburn) saver. Parking is crazy on a normal weekend at Ala Moana, so be prepared.
All in all, a fun and compact festival with all three goals met!

A Greek festival??? OPA!
I was really excited when I saw this event, I could not wait to divulge into such a rich culture. Being a fan of the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, I was pumped to meet another «loud» culture. Come on, I’m Puerto Rican, the louder you talk the more love you feel!
The sun was BLAZING! The event being at McCoy Pavilion meant that finding parking would be hard to find and the heat would be on!
When first walking through, you did not see much vendors. But you did see a big sign reading «GREEK KITCHEN», yes! Reading over the menu, nothing had caught my eye except the prices, wowzers! $ 12 plates which looked severely over priced especially when seeing the quantity of food or lack there of.
Our first stop was a drink stand. Being as hot as it was the line for this vendor was long. I got the three berries lemonade. I decided to get in the mason jar for $ 8. Pretty lady but she was not helpful at all and answered my question by asking a co worker and the answer was received from the conversation they had with each other… can I please just get my drink.
Multiple vendors were selling souvenirs and trinkets. I usually get something either for the kids or my nieces but again the prices were very high. I understand how costly it is to create your own jewelry and all the labor involved but could not bring myself to spend $ 60 for a pair of earrings that weren’t real. It was very pretty though.
Desserts were highly over priced. The gyro line was crazy long and only got longer. In the end I ended up trying the grape leaf plate they had (I totally forgot the name). I liked the flavor of it, Yay! Not much to really do there. Decided to try the Greek Coffee before leaving since I love me some good java! Ordered the Greek frappé… I waited and waited and wondered why people who ordered after me got their drinks. When I finally inquired I was told they did not have the «base» to make the frappé. Hmmm, that would have been nice to know when I first ordered my drink 10 minutes ago. I wondered why they looked bewildered and talked softly amongst themselves when I first ordered. It isn’t hard to say you are out of that item. I would have happily ordered the iced Greek coffee but after waiting and not being told anything, coffee was no longer on my craving list.
I did enjoy the Greek dancers. I hoped for more from this event. More dancers, story tellers, being greeted warmly and being immersed into such a beautiful culture. I’m hoping it will be better next year, I would happily go again in hopes of learning more about Greece and Greek culture. A little tidbit, I have a especially spot for Greece being that while in the 6^th grade I had to research and present to my class the reason why this country was great place to go, visit, live and learn about their agriculture and population. Lovin’ Greece since the 6^th grade. Now that deserves an OPA!

The Greek Festival is aight. I have been coming here annually for several years now and it seems like it is the same thing every year. It is located at the McCoy Pavilion at the Ala Moana Beach Park (near the tennis courts). Parking is always an issue especially because it is at Ala Moana beach park. The event always runs for two days which is on Saturday and Sunday from morning till nighttime. They have something always going on throughout the event though. It is about 3 bucks to get in and they will stamp your hand so that you can come in and out. There are several things that you can see and do to enhance your cultural immersion with the Greek culture. The hit is always the Greek bands and Greek dancing that they do in front of the entertainment area. In regards to the food, they have a plate lunch area in the front where you can try out different Greek foods which is really good. The gyro tent and gyros are always a hit and there is always a line for it for 8 bucks. They also have various Greek desserts but I think the popular ones get sold out quickly. Of course, what is the Greek culture and stuff without alchohol and drinking? They have a tent for that too. Other than the food, they have various tents that they sell various Greek and Greek festival inspired accessories, souvenirs, clothing, artifacts, and many more. They have a little auditorium theater inside too when sometimes they would show something Greek. Overall though, I feel that the festival does a great job in promoting and perpetuating the Greek culture and Greece to the Hawaii community.

This was my first Greek festival that I have ever been to. In fact, it’s my second experience in anything Greek. My first is watching «My Big Fat Greek Wedding.» That being said, I had a wonderful time! I attended with my bf of two years and we kept an open mind about our new experience we were about to have. We walked in and heard Greek music playing and saw people smiling, walked over to get some alcohol. We tried the ouzo (fennel tasting), dolmathes, shish kabobs, the dessert fried ball with the sugar and syrup, and gyros.
The dolmathes were not very good, nor was the customer service of the woman taking my money. The chef seemed nice though. The ouzo isn’t for me, I tried sipping it for a while but decided to shoot it like a shot. The kabobs were good but they weren’t served with pita so a little bit of a disappointment for me. Dessert balls were good. The vendor who sold me earrings was very nice and seemed very attentive to everyone. The gyros were pretty darn amazing and have inspired me to try more Greek food! The people at this tent were very nice and the line, though long, moved pretty quickly.
Overall, we had so much fun and definitely are planning to come back next year!

Thank you, Unilocal,for the free tickets to go to the Greek Festival. I was expecting to get 2 tickets so that we could go one day, but @Emi H. very generously provided me with 4! It’s been over 10 years since I last went, and back then, I don’t believe I paid an admission fee. It has GROWN!
We arrived around 6 pm on Saturday, in (a relatively unsuccessful) effort to beat the heat and the crowds. McCoy Pavillion was packed to the gills with attendees, Greek food and merchandise booths selling sweet and savory Greek prepared foods such as baklava, dolmathes, Greek Coffee, calamari, gyros, moussaka, lemon chicken, Greek pizza and more. There was also a «grocery» section selling non-​perishable Greek products as well as cheese. Finally, a few booths sold Greek artifacts, souvenirs and fashions. McCoy Pavilion’s courtyard provides plenty of areas to sit around the planters and around the ponds so folks could enjoy their food, the live music and people watching. The auditorium was set up, but there weren’t any exhibitions when we were there. I’m sure it was a nice place to catch some air conditioning and cool down, however.
Everyone was nice, and the food we ate was tasty, although portion sizes could have been a bit more generous.
Minus one star for the following reasons:
Some of the food vendors had no crowd, and some had huge lines, snaking around the courtyard. It’s not their fault, but perhaps logistics could be done to relieve the traffic congestion for those more popular booths and to draw more people to the other options?
I noticed that landscaping around some of the large tree «planters» were piled high with construction materials such as boxes of fluorescent lights (some weren’t even closed so bulbs were loose) and other supplies. I’m guessing that they were part of some type of facilities operations at McCoy Pavilion, and not brought in by the festival organizers. The things were not roped off in any way, and to me, that’s hazardous.
Tip:
Some of the courtyard trees were dropping overripe berries of some type. Wear a hat to protect your head/​hair from being beaned by falling wet stuff that’s neither rain nor poop!

Came to Honolulu with my family from the Big Island just for this, and it was totally worth it! A gentleman gave us three free tickets as we were nearing the door. The food was amazing, it was a great atmosphere, and the trees provided nice shade even during the horrible heat. We stayed for hours and would definitely go again!

Thank you Emi and Unilocal for the free tickets.
It was a great day out to check out this festival only bad thing was its so hot and humid.
Had the Gyros and its soooo good. MEAT ONION TOMATO AND THAT SAUCE AHHH I WANT MOREEEE
I was munching that gyros within minutes.
The lemonade stand there was not good i dont taste any lemonade at all except the really sugary water. was a little dissapointed on that part.
Alcohol are also available there if you are 21+

I had no idea we even had a Greek Festival in Hawaii! Thanks to Unilocal,I won a pair of free tickets to this year’s event! Parking is crazy at Ala Moana Beach Park. The Greek Festival has partnered up with Über if you don’t want to go through the hassle of finding parking.
It’s nice to see that we have such an active Greek community here. Make sure you come to the festival with an empty stomach. Pretty much everything at the festival is food related. There are many different, delicious food options to choose from! Salads, gyros, moussaka, coffee, tea, and even wine and beer! There’s even a booth to buy Greek pantry items. The Greek inspired gelatos are perfect for the hot and humid weather we’ve been having lately! Unfortunately, the baklava was sold out by the time I got here :(
Live music from the courtyard area keeps the mood upbeat and lively! Be sure to check out the Greek Festival website for the entertainment schedule if you want to learn and experience more about the culture.

This event’s atmosphere closely resembled being at a museum exhibit that promises a glimpse in Greek culture, but the information was dumbed down to some food dishes, alcoholic beverage, and some somber music – no participation required or expected or encouraged.
Unfortunately, I was swept away by the hype of this event over the radio waves. Unenthused greeters who wanted $ 3 per person as admission, overpriced mini bento box sized 12 thawed pieces of baklava at $ 16, cafeteria plates of 1 triangle piece of Spanakopita and 1 triangle of baklava and a pinch of of salad and a dollop of rubbery rice for $ 12, people lined up in the hot sun for gyro of 3 meat strip shavings for $ 8, all does NOT make a festival. I would not even call it a bazaar. It’s more like a miniature fair with merchants asking for premium prices.
Greek Festival 2015 was a complete disappointment, short of the Greek expression «Opa!»

After scoring free tickets from Unilocal for the 34^th Annual Greek Festival, my friend and I planned out a day of fun, food and a bit too much sun for my pasty complexion. We were fortunate enough to score parking in the beach park area and made our way over to the McCoy Pavilion area shortly after the gates opened.
The Greek Festival, although not one of the larger festivals still offers a good combination of cultural events, food, and things to do for all ages. They had a keiki table with arts and crafts, dancing, music, and the church was there selling religious items and there were also representatives from the church there talking to people and just mingling.
The food offered ranged from Greek style malasadas, to gyros to moussaka, etc. Greek pastries were also offered for purchase and in local style they offered Greek pastry bento boxes for purchase.
The event space offered lots of seating and shade which given the recent weather was welcome. Indoor working restrooms were also a plus.
While definitely not the type of festival where you can spend a whole day, it was an enjoyable way to spend a few hours eating and enjoying music and dance.
Thank you Unilocal Hawaii for the tickets they were much appreciated!

Grape leaf dish horrible, baklava really hard, what’s up with that, ???
Haha the sausage I liked and thought it was really good but that was the first time I ever ate Greek sausage so I don’t have a clue…
Gyro line too long otherwise after eating that Id probably rate more stars.
Yeah there is more to the festival than the food but…

It’s been a few years since I’ve been to the Greek festival, but I used to come quite often with my family when I was younger and in school and living with my parents haha. Thankfully, I won 4 tickets to this years Greek festival through Unilocal!Thanks so much to Unilocal Hawaii and Emi!
I read some reviews in which the reviewers thought this festival was boring… Lol idk if these people have never been to a cultural festival (Okinowan festival is next week!!) or if they have never been to Greece (I highly recommend Mykonos and Santorini). I think this is a pretty great festival that embodies Greek culture. Yes, it’s very laid back, but that’s how it is in Greece; eat good/​pricey food, drink alcohol, dance and listen to music… What more can you expect? I also think the McCoy pavilion is the most appropriate place to have the Greek festival. It’s super beautiful and even though parking is difficult to find, the little ponds and landscape reminds me a lot of Europe.
I’ve heard that in previous years, they’ve run out of food, but I definitely have my eye on some baklava, grape leaves and gyros :)

Didn’t win free Unilocal tickets to the Greek festival, but went to check it out anyway.
Admission was $ 3 a person, and free for kids under 12. As I walked in, there were drink and kid booths on the left, and in the Pavillion, food and trinket/​book booths. there was a stage at the end with different greek singers and bands. At noon the food booths had long lines, so we had to resort to buying souklava sticks at $ 5 each. The Greek salad was $ 13, and the lemonades were also $ 8 a bottle with no discount on refills.
There was also traditional Greek dancing in the auditorium which was much cooler given this humid day.
Overall, it’s a nice smaller festival if you’d like to hang and experience Greek music and culture.

We ordered 4 gyros. Some has more meat and some of the the bread is more charred. For $ 8 cash per sandwich, the portion should be more consistent.
The vendors are selling clothing and books, there wasn’t much to see or to do. The band was singing and playing Greek music. 1 – 2 ladies were dancing in front of the stage.
We left shortly after finishing the gyros. Nothing exciting.

I won tickets from Unilocal to attend the Greek fest. I was pretty stoked and excited. Thank you Unilocal and Emi for my tickets! Entry was at 12pm, and the line when I arrived was pretty darn long. It was a sunny and humid day, so people wear sunblock and bring your hydro flasks!
Once I was inside I went straight to the line where they sold the gyros. There was not many people in front of me so I did not have to wait long. I paid my eight bucks and received a food ticket in exchange. I then walked to where they collected the tickets and handed out the gyros. The ladies were sweet and greeted me with smiles.
With a gyro in hand I picked a seat in the shade waiting for my friend and her husband to arrive. Once we all had our gyros we sat by the water where the sun was not too present. I had a couple of bites before they got there. Heehee. I couldn’t wait. It was delicious. The meat was tender and the tsazki was tangy. I did wish I had a few more slabs of meat. There was an inconsistency of prepared gyros.
There was another long line for the Greek kitchen serving lemon chicken with rice and salad. A few other venders selling books, beer, calamari, shirts, caps, and desserts such as baklava. Activities for keikis were in the back. There was also a band playing Greek music on the podium with a few people dancing.
This was a nice small festival. I’m not sure if it was a traditional one. We Unilocalers write on our first hand personal experience. That is why Unilocal has so many dedicated followers and reviewers. :)
Unfortunately, there was no vender trying to sell the aspect of visiting Greece. Tourism would definitely help Greece out of their huge debt and give a boost of morale. Perhaps some pamphlets providing the history and embracing their culture would’ve been enticing.
We circled around to check everything out. Within an hour and a half we were done. I have to admit, I was getting a little bored. I did have a great time with my friend.:) Thank you again Unilocal!!!

Went last year 4 the first time. Not as big as most festival but still was crowded with people dancing by the live bands. Food was ok but still had fun. Hope 2 c all Unilocalers there