Long Beach Greek Festival 2025 is back this Labor Day weekend. And you’ll smell it and hear it before you see it. Charcoal smoke curls into the sky. Lamb sizzling over open flames. Honey thick and fragrant as it drips onto golden fried dough.
From Saturday, Aug. 30, through Monday, Sept 1, Assumption Greek Orthodox Church becomes a village square. Alive with food, music, and Dance. And the unmistakable warmth of Greek hospitality.
Long Beach Greek Festival is always about two essential things: food and love.
Every dish is made by hand—not by vendors, but by parishioners who spend weeks preparing. You’ll find them layering phyllo into buttery, paper-thin stacks for spanakopita, marinating chicken in lemon and oregano until the citrus seeps deep into the meat, and rolling loukoumades by the hundreds, dropping them into hot oil until they puff and crisp. Festival Chairman Jerry Polychrones puts it plainly: “Every food booth is staffed by our parishioners… They’re chopping onions, folding dough, marinating meats. That’s what makes this event so special.”
The lineup is irresistible: lamb souvlaki charred to smoky perfection, gyros shaved fresh off the spit, flaky spanakopita, sticky-sweet loukoumades dusted with cinnamon, and the festival’s signature barbecued chicken—juicy, lemon-bright, kissed with smoke from the grill. Wash it down with a pour of Greek wine, an ice-cold beer, or a bracing shot of ouzo or tsipouro, and you’ll understand why food is the heartbeat of this festival.
And, of course, a massive dose of Greek culture is included.
But the flavor doesn’t stop at the plate. Live Greek bands soundtrack the weekend, bouzouki riffs spilling through the air as dancers form circles, hands linked, feet stomping in rhythm. Award-winning Greek dance groups take the stage throughout the day, but it’s when the crowd joins in—plates and glasses in hand—that the festival comes alive.
Kids will find their own paradise in the Kid Zone, while adults can wander the Agora marketplace, stocked with imported olive oils, handmade jewelry, and chocolates, or step inside the church itself for guided tours and cooking demonstrations that reveal the traditions behind the food.
Marketing director Thanasi Papoulias sums it up best: “It’s not just about food and music—it’s about connection, tradition, and supporting something meaningful.”
The basics for Long Beach Greek Festival 2025
- Saturday, August 30: 12 PM – 10 PM
- Sunday, August 31: 12 PM – 10 PM
- Monday, September 1 (Labor Day): 12 PM – 9 PM
- Admission: $5 per person (kids 12 and under free)
- Parking: Free, with shuttle service from the VA Hospital lot at Bellflower Blvd. and Anaheim Road
