If you have been living in Chicago for a while, you have probably noticed that the city has a significant number of people of Greek descent living here. In fact, Chicago currently has the third largest Greek population of any city in the world. No wonder there are so many Greek festivals going on during the summer. I would highly recommend going to any of these festivals if you want to experience a little bit of Greek culture without leaving Chicago. Personally, my favorite thing about these festivals is the opportunity to participate in the circle dances that spontaneously erupt during the live music shows. It is definitely a lot of fun! Something to keep in mind is that if you are planning on eating at these events, then you should arrive early because it gets quite crowded after 6 pm and some fests have run out of food in the past. I have attended the following two festivals and have had a great time in both of them:
July 20-22 : Holy Taxiarhai and Saint Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church & Greek Festival
http://www.biggreekfoodfestofniles.org
August 25-26: Chicago’s 23rd annual Taste of Greece Festival
http://www.nationalhellenicmuseum.org/taste-greece-2012/
You may also find a more comprehensive list of Greek Orthodox Church Festivals happening in the metropolis of Chicago in the following link:
http://chicago.goarch.org/festivals-metropolis
Chicago Urbanite 