{"id":449043,"date":"2026-08-31T17:46:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T17:46:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/449043\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T17:46:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T17:46:19","slug":"long-beach-greek-week-2026-kicks-off-before-annual-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/449043\/","title":{"rendered":"Long Beach Greek Week 2026 kicks off before annual festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

Long Beach Greek Week will lead into the Long Beach Greek Festival 2026<\/a>, as is Labor Day weekend tradition for over 75 years. The week\u2014running from Aug. 31 through Sept. 4\u2014will feature a slew of Greek- or Greek-American-owned restaurants with specials before leading up to the festival tradition.<\/p>\n

And the fest, you ask? You\u2019ll smell it and hear it before you see it. Charcoal smoke curls into the sky. Music playing loudly. Lamb sizzling over open flames. People happily yelling over one another. Honey thick and fragrant as it drips onto golden fried dough.\u00a0<\/p>\n

From\u00a0Saturday, Aug. 30, through Monday, Sept 1, Assumption Greek Orthodox Church becomes a village square, alive with food, music, and dance. And, of course, the unmistakable warmth of Greek hospitality.<\/p>\n

\"LongDancers at the Long Beach Greek Festival. Courtesy of event.<\/p>\n

Long Beach Greek Festival is always about two essential things: food and love.<\/p>\n

Every dish is made by hand\u2014not by vendors, but by parishioners who spend weeks preparing. You\u2019ll find them layering phyllo into buttery, paper-thin stacks for spanakopita, marinating chicken in lemon and oregano until the citrus seeps deep into the meat, and rolling loukoumades by the hundreds, dropping them into hot oil until they puff and crisp. <\/p>\n

The lineup is irresistible:\u00a0lamb souvlaki charred to smoky perfection. Gyros shaved fresh off the spit. Flaky spanakopita. Sticky-sweet loukoumades dusted with cinnamon. And the festival\u2019s signature barbecued chicken\u2014juicy, lemon-bright, kissed with smoke from the grill.\u00a0Wash it down with a pour of Greek wine, an ice-cold beer, or a bracing shot of ouzo or tsipouro, and you\u2019ll understand why food is the heartbeat of this festival.<\/p>\n

\"Long<\/p>\n

\"Long<\/p>\n

\"LongFood galore at the Long Beach Greek Festival. Courtesy of event.<\/p>\n

And, of course, a massive dose of Greek culture is included.<\/p>\n

But the flavor doesn\u2019t stop at the plate. Live Greek bands soundtrack the weekend, bouzouki riffs spilling through the air as dancers form circles, hands linked, feet stomping in rhythm. Award-winning Greek dance groups take the stage throughout the day, but it\u2019s when the crowd joins in\u2014plates and glasses in hand\u2014that the festival comes alive.<\/p>\n

Kids will find their own paradise in the\u00a0Kid Zone. Adults can wander the\u00a0Agora marketplace, stocked with imported olive oils, handmade jewelry, and chocolates. Or step inside the church itself for guided tours and cooking demonstrations that reveal the traditions behind the food.<\/p>\n

\"LongDon\u2019t skip the sweets at the Long Beach Greek Festival. Courtesy of event.<\/p>\n

The basics for Long Beach Greek Week 2026<\/p>\n

Dates:\u00a0Monday, Aug. 31 through Friday, Sept. 4<\/p>\n

\"zuzu'sZuzu\u2019s Petals at the easternmost edge of DTLB. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/p>\n

Zuzu\u2019s Petals:\u00a0Fried chicken and loukoumades\u2014a Greek take on chicken and waffles using fried Greek doughnuts.
Address:\u00a0801 E. Third St.<\/p>\n

Valentino\u2019s Pizza:\u00a0Spanakopizza, a spanakopita-inspired pizza available exclusively at the PCH location. Personal 10-inch, $15.99; small Detroit-style, $17.99; large 14-inch, $20.99; large Detroit-style, $24.99.
Address:\u00a04750 E. Pacific Coast Hwy.<\/p>\n

\"longColossus in Belmont Shore. Photo by Brian Addison.<\/p>\n

Colossus:\u00a0Bougatsa for $6, available all day until sold out; lamb belly and potato pizza with feta, Kalamata olives and sumac for $30, available during dinner from 4PM until close; and natural Greek wine.
Address:\u00a04716 E. Second St.<\/p>\n

Pita Pitaki:\u00a0Free baklava with any purchase of more than $10.
Address:\u00a03401 Cherry Ave.<\/p>\n

Nick the Greek:\u00a0Beer or wine for $3 with the purchase of a gyro or bowl. Available exclusively at the Long Beach location.
Address:\u00a05000 E. Second St.<\/p>\n

\"george'sGeorge\u2019s on 2nd is a gorgeous space in Belmont Space. Photo by Brian Addison\/City of Long Beach.<\/p>\n

George\u2019s Greek Cafe:\u00a020% off the lamb burger at the Belmont Shore location.
Address:\u00a05316 E. Second St.<\/p>\n

Eat Fantastic:\u00a015% off the entire order when guests show the Greek Week post.
Address:\u00a02301 E. Fourth St.<\/p>\n

\"LongCourtesy of event.<\/p>\n

The basics for Long Beach Greek Festival 2026<\/p>\n

When: Saturday, Sept. 5 through Monday, Sept. 7<\/p>\n

Where: Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, located at 5761 E. Colorado St.<\/p>\n

Admission:\u00a0$5 per person (kids 12 and under free)<\/p>\n

Parking:\u00a0Free, with shuttle service from the VA Hospital lot at Bellflower Blvd. and Anaheim Road<\/p>\n

For more information, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Long Beach Greek Week will lead into the Long Beach Greek Festival 2026, as is Labor Day weekend…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":449044,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[78544,167475,147668,177719,131,133,132],"class_list":["post-449043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-cultural-events","tag-east-long-beach","tag-food-events","tag-greek-cuisine","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=449043"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449043\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/449044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=449043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=449043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=449043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}