About The Festival

The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church community began its philanthropic endeavors 30 years ago with a one-day event called "Holiday in Athens." Many local residents and others from neighboring communities came to enjoy an authentic Greek meal. Our community was very blessed in the ability to support many local nonprofit organizations with the funds from this event.

In 2004, a group of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox parishioners got together to discuss the possibility of hosting a Greek Festival. A few of those at the meeting grew up in a community that hosted a Greek Festival and remembered how everyone enjoyed attending and being Greek for the day. We thought it was a great idea to bring our cultural, traditions and cuisine to the Roanoke Valley on a much larger scale over a three day period. The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church has been a part of the Roanoke community for over 100 years and we wanted to give back to the community by offering a “Taste of Greece.” We wanted to expand on offering our cuisine, entertainment, heritage, and most importantly, our Christian faith. Our mission was to extend a three day invitation to Southwest Virginia visitors to come and experience what our Greek culture and heritage is all about, along with supporting nonprofit organizations in the Roanoke Valley. SEE: CHARITIES

The festival is first and foremost a cultural exhibit and celebration which began in 2006. From its humble beginning in 2006, an estimated 10,000 visitors came to the festival. Today we are blessed to welcome 25,000 visitors over the three day event. The festival has become one of the most popular food festivals in Southwest Virginia. Once again, we have been voted the Best Food Festival in Southwest Virginia by Virginia Living Magazine. The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church is the only place to see and learn about authentic Byzantine iconography, the centuries old fresco painting seen in some of the oldest churches in the world today.

Over the many years of our community hosting Greek events, we have been able to provide monetary support to many charitable organizations in the Roanoke community. In 2007, our committee established the Roanoke Greek Festival Fund which is administered by the Foundation for the Roanoke Valley. “Bringing Good People and Good Causes Together….forever” is the slogan for the Roanoke Valley Foundation. The Greek Festival Committee felt this slogan simply put was the reason we decided to set up the Roanoke Greek Festival Fund for the future benefit of our charitable efforts. We felt the Foundation was the most efficient and effective way we could continue helping our organizations and continue to grow in our philanthropic endeavors. We hope that this fund will continue to grow and become a charitable legacy on behalf of our efforts. In addition to the Roanoke Greek Festival Fund, we donate directly to deserving organizations in the Roanoke Valley each year. This support allows us to give back to the community that we call home.

Best Food Festival Awards - 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015 & 2012 Editions

Virginia Living Magazine - "Best of Virginia" is a guide to the best in dining, shopping and doing in the Old Dominion. Virginia Living Magazine asked its readers, to tell them their ‘bests’ in everything from dining to doing. And they answered! After receiving nearly 10,000 responses they let us know where to find the best our state has to offer. They counted the surveys and compiled the list of winners from across the five regions of Virginia: Eastern, Northern, Central, Southwestern and the Shenandoah Valley. Congratulations Roanoke Greek Festival for being voted "Best Food Festival" for the Southwestern Region.