Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Cathedral will hold its 38th

Annual Greek Festival on May 17-20th on the church grounds, at 30-11 30th Drive in Astoria.

The festival will feature a disc jockey playing modern and traditional Greek music for listening and dancing. Students from the parish parochial school will perform Greek folk dances in traditional costume on all four days. Greek food (souvlaki, gyro, pastitsio, moussaka, leg of lamb) and pastries (baklava, galactobouriko, or custard pie, finikia, or honey cookies, kourabiedes, which are almond cookies topped with confectioners sugar, and loukoumades, fried dough topped with honey) are among the delicacies to be served.

Also featured will be carnival rides for children and games of skill and chance for kids and adults. Jewelry, books, hand-crocheted clothing and linens, reproductions of ancient Greek statues and vases, DVDs and CDs featuring Greek music, hand-made arts and crafts, and religious artifacts will be available for purchase. A flea market featuring a wide variety of items, including antiques, will also be at the festival.

"We're delighted for the opportunity to share our proud Greek heritage with our neighbors," said Rev. Fr. John Antonopoulos, acting dean. "Visitors to the Saint Demetrios festival have a wonderful time and begin to realize the richness of the Greek tradition. After all, there's more to Hellenism than just souvlaki and baklava, though there's plenty of that to be found here, too."

Astoria is the world's largest Greek community outside of Greece. Founded in 1927, the church has, over the years, been home to tens of thousands of Greek immigrants and, more recently, second-, third- and fourth-generation Greek-Americans.

The parish includes a Greek-American day school for grades pre-K through 12, Greek afternoon school for Greek language instruction for children attending public school, Sunday School for religious instruction, numerous athletic and social programs for youth and young adults, and a Greek language program for adults.

Festival hours are Thursday-Friday, 5 - 11 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-11 p.m.

Saint Demetrios is easily accessible by public transportation, including the subway N line (30th Avenue stop).