The Greek Festival of Sydney was established in 1980 by the Greek Community Council, a body representing all the major Greek organisations of the time. In a climate sympathetic to multiculturalism, it arose out of the Greek Community's need to express and to maintain cultural and artistic practices. The festival sought to do this through a variety of cultural events such as theatrical performances, concerts, lectures, film screenings etc, aiming to promote Greek culture not just within the Greek Community but also within the broader context of the Australian community.

For the first 6 years of its existence the Festival came under the umbrella of the Carnivale and showcased traditional aspects of Greek culture while at the same time dealing with contemporary issues such as "Cultural Conflict of Greek Youth in Australia".
(Sixth Greek Festival 1985). In 1986 the Greek Festival ended its association with the Carnivale and after a few years in recess it forged new links with the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW - an association that continues to the present day.

The Greek Orthodox Community is one of Australia's oldest organisations  representing Greek migrants. Apart from operating churches, afternoon Greek schools, kindergartens and a hostel for the aged, it provides a wide range of migrant related social services. In more recent times, it has taken on board the need to meet its members' cultural and artistic aspirations. With this change came a shift in emphasis and content. While in the past much of the content had been provided by the Greek government, the new focus was to be on promoting and supporting cultural initiatives not only of Greek/Australians of NSW but of all Australia.

Greece has been stamping its cultural identity on the world for centuries and its culture is becoming more and more entrenched in contemporary and mainstream Australia (Sydney has one of the largest Greek populations of any city in any country in the world - including Greece!). This is largely due to Greece's remarkably rich cultural diversity, artistic energy and passion for entertainment as well as the emergence and influence of Greek-Australians within the Australian artistic and cultural scene.

Cultural diversity is an intrinsic part of Australian society. Celebrating this diversity in the form of an arts festival further legitimises it and provides an enormous boost to the collective self-esteem of the Greek community.

With the emergence of these second and third generation Greek/Australians has come the need to create hybrid cultural expressions, which draw their inspiration not only from the shared migrant experience of previous generations but also from a sense of identity which incorporates Greek roots with contemporary Australian experiences. Increasingly, Greek-Australians are looking outward rather than inward - confidently if self-consciously acknowledging that they are part of the Diaspora while attempting to distil the essence of their Greekness in an Australian context. As the prestige of the event grows, it is also attracting more and more the attention of mainstream academics and artists.

The Greek Festival has played a key role in providing a forum for showcasing these cultural expressions and aspirations. Over the years, the Festival has seen a vast increase in the diversity of the program of events. This has been matched by a growth in attendance - over 180,000 people last year representing a three fold increase in the last four years.
This year's events cover the full spectrum of artistic expressions - theatrical performances, concerts, art exhibitions, film screenings as well as lectures, presentation of awards, workshops and of course the annual street fair.

The long term aim of the Festival organisers and the Greek Orthodox Community is to establish a permanent cultural centre to ensure continuity in the artistic life of future generations of Greek Australians and their fellow citizens. Many realities for migrant communities have started as dreams. Let us hope this is no exception!