Beyond the Rhetoric

One of the biggest reasons why I love Vancouver is its ethnic diversity and its embracing of this ethnic diversity. We have restaurants featuring cuisine from all around the world and festivals to celebrate these different cultures too. Such was the case yesterday when I took in the sights and sounds at Greek Day Vancouver 2010.

Shutting down a section of West Broadway between MacDonald and Blenheim, Greek Day offered us a chance to engulf ourselves in all things Hellenic. Part of it was like a food festival, giving us various booths not unlike Taste of the City or Richmond Night Market. Another part of it had to do with entertainment, featuring live music, street performers, and so on.

Another part of it was akin to a street carnival of sorts, giving you the opportunity to win some free stuff. The prizes may not be quite as good as my swag giveaway, but they were free and added greatly to the festive environment. Vancity had reusable shopping bags, Zipcar had car credits, and so on.

There’s an educational component to Greek Day too. In addition to Simon Fraser University promoting its Hellenic Studies program, several other booths were set up to celebrate the rich history and culture of the different peoples of Greece. After all, different regions are slightly different, just like any other country in the world.

Here are a few other photos that I took during the somewhat drizzly Sunday afternoon.

Based on what I hear from Dixon Tam, another Greek Day is going to happen on Boundary Road between Vancouver and Burnaby some time soon too. It’s smaller, but I’m sure it can be just as fun.

Tags: culture, festival, greek

Filed under Arts and Entertainment, Food and drink.