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After a summer when nearly constant rain threatened to take the joy out of most outdoor activities, hot sunny weather brought out a record crowd to Park Extension for last week’s Greek cultural festival, an event celebrated annually by persons of Hellenic origin for the Feast of the Assumption. More than 15,000 people converged on the intersection of Outremont and St. Roch streets on the closing night of the three-day event.
Not deterred by heat
At its climax last Saturday, the corner became centre stage for an evening of Greek entertainment, that included folk dancing, traditional music, souvlaki prepared over charcoal, and exciting midway games. The intense heat, which was in keeping with the climate of Greece during the summer, could not deter folk dancers or people of Hellenic origin from breaking out into spontaneous dance.
For lovers of souvlaki, a whole pig was slowly roasted on a spit. All in all, the festival was a major improvement over last year’s event, which had been largely washed out by rain. While Greeks once accounted for up to 70 per cent of Park Extension’s population, many have moved to other areas of the Montreal region. Nonetheless, more than 50 per cent of Park Extension’s residents are Greek today, and they like to come out once year to proudly celebrate it.
‘An enormous success’
“This year it’s an enormous success,” said Billy Balabanos, president of the Hellenic Community of Montreal which organized the festival. “We have something like 15,000 people here. Last night we ran out of food. Tonight we’re at that point again, which is a good sign. A bad sign for those who want something to eat, but a good sign for us and all those who put this festival together.”
Councillor Mary Deros, who was busy for several days attending festivals organized by a variety of cultural communities, noted that several of them share the Feast of the Assumption as the rallying point during August for their cultural events. “The Italians are doing their Italian week around this holiday,” she said, noting that Armenians have also centered an annual cultural celebration around the Assumption. A number of other communities were staging important cultural events last weekend.
Weather was excellent
“It’s a great opportunity to bring all the the communities out together to share and celebrate.” Deros said the beautiful weather Montreal had in August was an important important improvement over last year, when those attending the Greek festival got rained on. She pointed out that many people from other communities came out to enjoy the celebration “and this is what our festivals are all about. It’s bringing the communities together and sharing this rich diversity in Montreal.”