Long Beach Greek Week will lead into the Long Beach Greek Festival 2026, as is Labor Day weekend tradition for over 75 years. The week—running from Aug. 31 through Sept. 4—will feature a slew of Greek- or Greek-American-owned restaurants with specials before leading up to the festival tradition.
And the fest, you ask? You’ll smell it and hear it before you see it. Charcoal smoke curls into the sky. Music playing loudly. Lamb sizzling over open flames. People happily yelling over one another. 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.
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. 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.
The basics for Long Beach Greek Week 2026
- Dates: Monday, Aug. 31 through Friday, Sept. 4
Zuzu’s Petals: Fried chicken and loukoumades—a Greek take on chicken and waffles using fried Greek doughnuts.
Address: 801 E. Third St.
Valentino’s Pizza: Spanakopizza, a spanakopita-inspired pizza available exclusively at the PCH location. Personal 10-inch, $15.99; small Detroit-style, $17.99; large 14-inch, $20.99; large Detroit-style, $24.99.
Address: 4750 E. Pacific Coast Hwy.
Colossus: Bougatsa for $6, available all day until sold out; lamb belly and potato pizza with feta, Kalamata olives and sumac for $30, available during dinner from 4PM until close; and natural Greek wine.
Address: 4716 E. Second St.
- Pita Pitaki: Free baklava with any purchase of more than $10.
Address: 3401 Cherry Ave.
Nick the Greek: Beer or wine for $3 with the purchase of a gyro or bowl. Available exclusively at the Long Beach location.
Address: 5000 E. Second St.
George’s Greek Cafe: 20% off the lamb burger at the Belmont Shore location.
Address: 5316 E. Second St.
Eat Fantastic: 15% off the entire order when guests show the Greek Week post.
Address: 2301 E. Fourth St.
The basics for Long Beach Greek Festival 2026
- When: Saturday, Sept. 5 through Monday, Sept. 7
- Where: Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, located at 5761 E. Colorado St.
- 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
- For more information, click here.
