Yiasou Charlotte Greek Festival Returns This Weekend

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One local cathedral is preparing for a big, fat, wonderful weekend.

“It’s one of those things where you walk in here thinking it’s just a church festival,” lifelong congregant John Shelton exclaims. “but you really walk into our creation of a Greek village.”

Come to the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral this weekend, and you’ll be greeted with fun, friends, family, faith, fellowship… and food.

That’s a lot of Fs, but Father Jonathan Resmini knows firsthand that the Yiasou Greek Festival is an A-plus time.

“We can show the world the beauty of this and how you can blend these ideas of freedom, fellowship, faith, and hospitality and all of these things together in a time when sometimes we can be divided, to know that we can be together.”

Resmini has been leading worship at the sanctuary for five years and was recently elected Dean of Cathedral.

Yiasou means hello, goodbye, and cheers in Greek – and there’s plenty to celebrate in Dilworth this weekend. This is the cathedral’s 45th festival and 100th year as a congregation.

“It really has become generational,” says Shelton. “We’ve got multiple generations working the festival. Grandparents who have started the festival have now taught their grandchildren how to run it, so it’s a really unique event.”

And the festival is this community’s way of saying thanks.

“This is just one of those opportunities to share our culture, to share our faith, but also a sense of gratitude for what the city has done for us.”

The Yiasou Greek Festival attracts roughly 50,000 people in Dilworth through its three-day run, which comes to an end on Sunday, September 10. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children under 12.