Cardiff Greek Festival 2026

“There's a church by the coast that cooks for the…”

One weekend every September, a quiet stretch of coast in Cardiff-by-the-Sea fills with the smell of slow-roasted lamb, the sound of bouzouki, and the kind of dancing that pulls strangers into the line by the second song. The Cardiff Greek Festival has been the parish's gift to North County for decades — hosted by the Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, run by the families who cook the food themselves. Expect souvlaki and gyros, spanakopita and loukoumades fried to order, Greek wine and coffee, church tours, a marketplace of imported goods, and live music with traditional dancing all afternoon. It is small, warm, and deeply local — the opposite of a corporate festival. The Cardiff Greek Festival runs Saturday, September 12 and Sunday, September 13, 2026, at 3459 Manchester Avenue, Cardiff-by-the-Sea. Admission is free; bring cash for the food, and come hungry. Parking is tight along Manchester Avenue, so most regulars walk or bike in from the coast and make a slow afternoon of it. Come for the food, stay for the dancing — by late afternoon the courtyard is moving and nobody stays a stranger for long.