I went to the St. Nicholas Greekfest over labor day weekend and it was a great time! We actually made a couple of trips to sample as much Greek food as possible. We also sat and watched the live music for quite a while. St Nicholas is a Greek Orthodox Church located in the Central West End Neighborhood of St. Louis City.
The St. Nicholas Greek Festival takes place every labor day weekend on the grounds of their church in the Central West End at the corner of Forest Park Parkway and Kingshighway. Thousands of people visit daily to enjoy Greek food and culture. There are tents and food lines set up all over the parking lot, entrance to the Church, and inside the Church’s cafeteria. They offer a wide variety of Greek fare cooked by Church members. Some of the dishes available are gyros, lamb shanks, kabobs, dolmathes, tiropita, spanikopita, calimari, lamb sliders and baklava. There are many, many more options available but these are some of the highlights. The food is outstanding and they move you through the lines very quickly considering the number of people that are there. Even if the lines are a little long you get a chance to chat with friends and listen to the Greek music that rings out nonstop all day long.
The bands that were playing were really impressive. They played traditional Greek songs on traditional Greek instruments and Church members would come out and dance a different dance for each song. The lead instrument is a guitar like instrument called a bouzouki that had 8 strings. The bouzouki players in the band would stand on chairs and play long solos while interacting with the crowd. Sometimes they would even play the instrument behind their heads reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughan. The rest of the band consisted of a clarinet player, keyboard player, and 2nd bouzouki player who was equally impressive.
This is one of the best cultural festivals in the St. Louis area hands down. For anyone thinking about coming down you absolutely should in the coming years. BJC has a parking garage next door to the church that they allow festival attendees to park in FOR FREE. This is also a great excuse to come down and check out the Central West End and what life in the neighborhood is all about. The Central West End is already one of if not the most vibrant neighborhood in the entire city. Something like this adds another layer to life in the neighborhood. The Central West End will make you believe that St. Louis has the potential to be a diverse metropolitan urban area with walkable streets, major industry, and cultural events. The Central West End as a neighborhood does this festival justice and its a great marriage between the two. Make a day of it and check out the neighborhood, festival and Forest Park as well! You can walk to all of it and it will make for a great weekend.
