Get ready for pastries a-plenty, dolmades and dancing at annual Greek festival

Since 1963, around the time when autumn feels like it’s settled into itself, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church attracts thousands to a tented parking lot in Tacoma for plates of roast chicken and dolmades, seemingly endless pastries, live music and dancing.

This year marks a particularly special iteration of the annual Tacoma Greek Festival, as the congregation has been celebrating its centennial in 2025. Events have included a gala in May and a founders’ dinner in July, as well as the release of a hardbound book created by parishioners.

The 62nd annual festival, Oct. 3-5, is free to enter and open to the public. Proceeds from food sales always benefit the parish and a select community organization — a portion of the 62nd annual event will support St. Kosmas Academy in Arlington.

Head to the surprisingly robust kitchen in the basement for hot plates of Greek-style chicken or pastitsio, similar to lasagna with ample bechamel and seasoned ground beef layered over macaroni instead of wide pasta sheets. Mains are served with salad, a veg and bread, but you can also snack on tyropitakia (cheesy eggs in phyllo), spanakopita and dolmades.

After exploring the outdoor fun, you’ll want to beeline back to the basement before leaving to stock up on boxes of pastries — made on site over many months by dedicated, multi-generational volunteers. The crew starts baking in the spring, usually starting with baklava which can be assembled and then frozen until pulled and drizzled with honey syrup just ahead of the festival.

Last year they baked around 18,000 pieces of the classic sweet, not to mention thousands of kourambiethes (shortbread tea cookies dusted with powdered sugar), melomakarona (spiced walnut-honey cookie), paximathia (biscotti of sorts), kataifi (super-thin strips of phyllo) and kataifi ekmek (crunchy phyllo base with a thick layer of custard finished with cinnamon and pistachio).

Outside, vendors line the exterior loop, selling gyros, baskets of fried calamari, souvlaki, loukaniko and loukamades. You can snag singles of various pastries out here as well as ice cream with baklava.

Refresh with a drink, including hot coffee, Greek wine and beer by the bottle. There’s also a mercantile for European imports and monastery items.

Prices are “mostly unchanged” from last year, according to the website. Note that the festival is mostly cashless — cards and phone-tap payments are available at every booth. You can also load a “spending card” (look for the booth in the tent near the door to the basement) with cash or card, which is useful for kids. Have an extra from last year? You can use it!

The church encourages taking the light rail — park at the Tacoma Dome garage for free, then ride to Convention Center Station (the hike up will compensate for all the pastries you’re about to consume!) or keep going to the other end at St. Joseph for a short, downhill jaunt. If driving: the South Yakima Avenue-side lot at St. Joseph Medical Center will be available; street parking is possible but can be challenging at peak times.

Music abounds, and dancers of all ages will take the stage at various intervals. It’s a lively affair and one of Tacoma’s most anticipated fall events.

Tacoma Greek Festival 2025

• Where: St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 1523 S Yakima Ave., Tacoma, stnicholastacoma.org
• When: Oct. 3-4, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Oct. 5, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
• What to know: annual fundraising festival with traditional Greek food, drink and pastries, plus live performances; all ages, free to enter

This story was originally published October 2, 2025 at 5:15 AM.