Toast to Greek Food, Crafts

A celebration of Greek food, music, dance and crafts is expected to attract more than 6,000 people to St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church in Irvine this weekend.

“It’s a cultural event,” said Father George Stephanides, founding pastor of the church. The band Levendia will play, imported and locally produced jewelry and other crafts will be on sale, and there will be carnival games and rides and a raffle for a trip to Greece. But the biggest draw, at least for the non-Greek crowd, is the food.

“There are so many people who love Greek foods,” Stephanides said, and there will be plenty of it: souvlaki, moussaka, gyros, spanakopita, pastitsio, loukanico, loukoumades and Greek pastries.

The church’s annual Grecian Festivals began 14 years ago, shortly after the parish was founded, and moved between various sites until three years ago when the parish settled into its permanent home.

The church’s Byzantine-domed main sanctuary was completed just weeks ago and will be open for guided tours during the festival. Stephanides said that since its founding, the parish (which draws mostly from Irvine, Newport Beach, Mission Viejo, Lake Forest and Laguna Hills) has grown from 57 families to almost 700.

What: Grecian Festival.

When: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, June 19; noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 20; noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, June 21.

Where: St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church, 4949 Alton Parkway, Irvine.

Whereabouts: From the San Diego (405) Freeway, go north on Culver Drive, then turn right on Alton Parkway. The church is on the left between Culver and Jeffrey Road.

Wherewithal: $2. Kids under 12: free.

Where to Call: (714) 733-3102.