BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The annual Greek Food Festival wrapped up Sunday at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Bakersfield, with organizers hoping to surpass last year's attendance of about 8,000 people.
The 3-day event drew fans of Greek food, music and culture. For some, like Katherine Rupert, attending was a long-awaited goal.
"I have been wanting to come here for decades, and something always came up, and I would have missed today if my daughter hadn't reminded me that this was their last day, and I said, 'Okay, this is on my bucket list. I'm gonna come,'" Rupert said.
Rupert was also looking forward to trying a variety of dishes.
"But best of all, it's the food. But I'm gonna try everything. I mean, I'm in here. I'm gonna I'm gonna eat till I get sick," Rupert said.
Attendees enjoyed live music while indulging in a variety of Greek dishes. Pastries were also a fan favorite at the event.
Tanya Alsheikh has volunteered at the festival since she was 6 years old and said that by Sunday morning, several pastries had already sold out.
"We actually already sold out of our tiramisu cupcakes, our pistachio baklava, and the chocolate hazelnut baklava. They were so well received. We even made more this year and somehow still sold out of them," Alsheikh said.
Greek Food Festival Co-Chair Annette Londquist said last year about 8,000 people attended the festival. This year, organizers believe they'll surpass that number.
"We think we're going to max back out, go beyond the 8,000, but we never know. We never know. Last night, it hit really hard, and we literally had we were trying to find places for people to sit and eat," Londquist said.
Niko Exarchoulaks was volunteering at one of the food booths and said they're glad to see so many people show up to the 3-day festival.
"You know, it's truly a blessing. This is our big fundraiser for the year, so this is what keeps the lights on for us, and it's always a blessing having people come and visit us and try the great food. So there's nothing we love more," Exarchoulaks said.
Every year, organizers donate a portion of the funds to a local charity. This year, they're donating to the Bakersfield SPCA.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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