The 27th annual Greek Festival of Sydney will launch with a special two day long celebration at Darling Harbour on the 28th and 29th of March. Come and bring your family for two days music, dancing, fine food and Greek festivities.
Entry is free of charge for all.
The festival will feature high quality international and local talent. On this weekend the foreshores of Darling Harbour will come alive to the sounds of fabulous Greek music, the aromas of sumptuous Greek food, dazzling displays of Greek dancing, and many surprises for the children.
Courtesy of our Principal Sponsor, ANT1 Pacific, Marianta Pieridi will perform on the night showcasing the newest in Greek music.This is the perfect way to celebrate the vibrant multiculturalism of Sydney and to explore the beauty of Greek culture.
The Darling Harbour celebration will kick off the month long Greek Festival of Sydney, with over 30 events scheduled on this year’s program. Welcome to Australia’s leading multicultural festival, where everyone is invited to celebrate and explore the beauty of Greek culture through the arts, history, entertainment and food.
Tumbalong Park
A fun day full of non-stop entertainment featuring live music from some of Sydney’s finest Greek Australian musicians. Australia’s best Greek dancing displays and workshops complemented by some of the most sumptuous Greek food in the Southern Hemisphere! There will also be art and craft stalls, sports activities and the chance to win prizes.
National Independence Day Parade
25th March is a day of celebration, commemorating Greece’s historic struggle for national independence in the 1800’s. There willbe a procession led by students of the Greek Orthodox Community Afternoon & Saturday Schools and culminating in a wreath laying ceremony, poetry readings and traditional dancing. Parade commences 12 noon from Pyrmont Bridge (south side) and ends at Tumbalong Park.
The Official “Festival Afterparty”
Sat 28 March 2009 @ The Pumphouse
17 Little Pier Street, Darling Harbour
(opposite Entertainment Centre)
Featuring special guest direct from Greece MARIANTA PIERIDI performing live plus superstar DJs Krazy Kon, Con Majj, Peter Gallo, Adonis, Dimi K & guests
Doors open 9.00pm til late
More info www.dancebox.com.au
Marianta Pieridi from Greece
Headlining this year is Greece’s very own Marianta Pieridi in a performance not to be missed.
Performing live on Saturday and Sunday.
Maria Pieridi was born in Nicosia Cyprus and moved from a young to Athens, Greece with her family.
In June of 2002, Marianta released her first album, entitled “I gineka tis zois sou” (“The Woman Of Your Life”), which instantly gave her a substantial place in the hearts of the Greek audience. In 2002 “Arion” Greek Music Awards, Marianta received the Award for “Best Newcomer in Greek Music”
Marianta’s discography consists of the CD single “Ute Ki Esi” (“Neither You”) and
the albums “Vale Fantasia” (“Use Your Imagination”) with strong dance tracks, “Ambra
- Katambra” with more Greek sounds (“laika”) and “Sfera Stin Kardia”(“Bullet In The Heart”) with a mixture of pop and “laika” elements in the songs.
Marianta returned in 2006 with the CD single “DJ”, followed by the release of her “best of” album, with the greatest hits from her first album entitled “DJ-The Hits Collection” In mid-December 2008, Pieridi released her fifth studio album titled Se Prokalo which features nine songs in total including the single “Milia Makria”.
Check out the following sites for more information:
Dj/producer/promoter/innovator are terms used for DJ Krazy Kon’s remarkable career. He is one of only a few elite DJs in the World to have his very own Greek CD series. An iconic annual mix simply called “Greece”, his 7 album discography from 2004 – 2009 has become a landmark in Australia’s music landscape.
With constant national & international touring credited to his name, he now runs his own record label, nightclub promotions company and music store. Don’t miss his now famous DJ set as the closing act of the Festival.
Paroula Thurban and the Greek Community Dance School have been performing in Sydney for almost 45 years. Her dances will be showcased over the 2 days at Darling Harbour.
Canberra based “ ENOSI “
Enosi was formed in 1999 by the three Diaspora Greeks following a chance meeting in Vienna. Tony Karrys (Karagiannakis), lead vocalist, was classically trained at the Brooklyn conservatorium in the United States and has studied Byzantine music.
The highlights of his career was a 1990 performance at the Herod Atticus theatre, Athens, as a backing vocalist to renowned Greek artist George Dalaras and lead singer of the support group “Odyssey” during Gianni Parios’ Australian visit in 1993.
Con Velanis is an accomplished bouzouki, baglama player in addition to being a skilled instrument maker. He was tutored and heavily influenced by the great bouzouki exponent Christos Nicolopoulos. Guitarist and vocalist Aris Gounaris is a refugee from the former USSR, who learnt to speak Greek at the age of 25 largely through his exposure to Greek music.
Many of his original compositions fuse traditional Chechen folk music with a mix of Greek, Turkish and middle-Eastern rhythms.
Palm Grove
Watch or join in the very best Greek dancing displays in Australia as dance schools from around the country show off their skills and teach a few of their secrets to create an all day Greek Dancing Extravaganza!
Sat 28 March 3pm-11pm
Sun 29 March 10am-10pm
Darling Harbour
Download weekend program >>>
