JANUARY 13-16
ATLANTA, GA – The Metropolis of Atlanta Hellenic Dance Festival (HDF) Ascend takes place January 13-16. Held on Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, an initiative of Metropolitan Alexios, the HDF began in 2000 and has grown into a true family event. More information and registration available online: https://www.hellenicdancefestival.com.

MIAMI, FL – St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church, 7901 N. Kendall Drive in Miami, hosts the Miami Greek Festival January 13-16. Enjoy delicious Greek food and pastries, music and dancing as well as performances by the community’s dancers in traditional costume. Tickets are $5, available on Eventbrite, search: Miami Greek Festival 2023. More information is available by phone: 305-595-1343 and online: https://standrewfl.com.

GLENBROOK, NV – Young adults ages 18-30’s are invited to register for the 16th Annual Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco Young Adult Winter Retreat in Lake Tahoe January 13-16 at the Galilee Camp and Conference Center, 1776 U.S. Hwy 50 in Glenbrook, NV. The theme for this year’s retreat is ‘The Glory of God Is a Human Being Fully Alive’, with guest speaker Dr. Bethany Geleris, DNP. The services during the retreat will be led by Rev. Fr. Nicholas Metrakos, Assistant Priest from Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in San Francisco. Located on a private retreat center on the shore of Lake Tahoe with spectacular views, the weekend will include incredible food and awesome accommodations as well as a weekend packed full of fun, faith, and fellowship with Orthodox young adults from across the Archdiocese. This retreat will sell out with a limited capacity, so make sure to register today. More information is available online: https://bit.ly/3WRY11F.

JANUARY 15
ASTORIA – The Kalymnos Society of New York hosts its Vasilopita on Sunday, January 15, 3 PM, at the Andriotis Hall at St. Catherine and St. George Church, 22-30 33rd Street in Astoria.

ONLINE – The East Mediterranean Business Culture Alliance (EMBCA) presents the Hellenic Republic Voting and the Diaspora Webinar Panel Discussion on Sunday, January 15, 2 PM EST. More information to be announced: https://embca.com.

BAYSIDE – The Athenians’ Society of New York hosts its cutting of the Vasilopita on Sunday, January 15, 5 PM, at Laterna Restaurant, 47-20 Bell Boulevard in Bayside. The event features dinner, raffles, and music by Aggeliki Psoni on vocals, Konstantinos Revelas on bouzouki, and Paul Denesidis on keyboard. Tickets: $100. For more information, contact Theodora Lagos 917-566-1880, Iro Plakogiannis 917-596-2776, Vana Kontomerkou 203-268-3327 or email: [email protected].

JANUARY 18
ONLINE – The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Brain Insight Lecture at the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia University titled Nature and Nurture: How Our Experiences Shape the Brain Across Generations takes place virtually on Wednesday, January 18, 6:30-7:45 PM. Register online by Monday, January 16: https://bit.ly/3YMa0PT.

JANUARY 20-22
HOLLYWOOD, FL – The Hollywood Greek Festival presented by St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 425 N. 58th Avenue in Hollywood, takes place January 20-22. Enjoy authentic Greek food and desserts, and entertainment including music and dancing as well as performances by the community’s award-winning dance group. This once-a-year event is the place to learn to dance, win a grand prize in a raffle, make memories with the kids in our Fun Zone, and purchase items from the vendors in the shops. The ouzo daiquiris are a unique creation you can’t find anywhere else. Hours: Friday, January 20, 4-10 PM; Saturday, January 21 and Sunday, January 22, 11 AM-10 PM. More information is available by phone: 954-966-1898 and online: https://www.stgeorgehollywood.org.

JANUARY 21
LOS ANGELES – On Saturday, January 21, 7 PM, at the UCLA Little Theater, 1167 MacGowan Hall in Los Angeles, the UCLA Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture presents the world premiere of ‘Polymnia’, a debut experimental chamber opera that tells the story of a woman who responds with resilience to war and trauma and relates how her experience echoes across generations and communities. Drawing from fragments of Sappho’s poetry, Kassiane’s hymns, as well as four generations of private family writings and oral history, composer and performer Theodosia Roussos shares the story of her great-grandmother Polymnia Athanasiadis Pappas, a young woman whose family was expelled from its village by the Ottoman Turks during the Asia Minor Catastrophe. Roussos draws influence from her Greek Cypriot American background and weaves elements of Byzantine and Greek folk music into the score. Presented in both Greek and English, Polymnia reveals the very personal and also political experience of diaspora – what is lost, what is retained, and what cannot be forgotten. This event is being held under the auspices of the Consulate General of Greece in Los Angeles and is made possible thanks to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) and the National Endowment for the Arts. Polymnia is produced by Plain Wood Productions. More information and tickets available online: https://hellenic.ucla.edu/event/polymnia/.

MIDDLETOWN, RI – The Newport Winter Glendi Greek Dance takes place on Saturday, January 21, 6 PM, at Wyndham Newport Hotel, 240 Aquidneck Avenue in Middletown. Entertainment includes live dance performance by Norwalk Pontian Society, live music by Fotia.Live featuring Iosif Tsentekidis, Nikos Spaniotis, Nikos Savvas, Voula Berdos, and Tony Pentikis as well as Pontiaka featuring Vaggelis Pesiridis and Michael Pesiridis. Admission: Adults $60, children 12 and under $20. Tickets available on Eventbrite, search: 2023 Newport Winter Glendi. For more information email Steve Kyriakides: [email protected].

JANUARY 22
ASTORIA – The Pan-Rhodian Society of America Apollon of New York hosts its annual cutting of the Vasilopita following the Divine Liturgy and Artoklasia at the Sacred Patriarchal and Stavropegial Orthodox Monastery of St. Irene Chrysovalantou, 36-07 23rd Avenue in Astoria on January 22. The church services are 8-11:30 AM. More information is available via email: [email protected].

WASHINGTON, DC – The Hellenic Society of Constantinopolitans of the Greater Washington Area host the annual cutting of the Vasilopita on Sunday, January 22. The suggested donation for attending is $20 per person. A slideshow will be shown with highlights of the Society’s activities over the years and there will be carol singing and traditional holiday treats. More information will be available early in January. To learn more about the Hellenic Society of Constantinopolitans of the Greater Washington Area, email: [email protected].

BOSTON – Panos Kiamos Live Show in Boston at the Royale Boston Nightclub, 279 Tremont Street, on Sunday, January 22, doors open 8:15 PM, show begins 9:30 PM. For tables and information, contact Maria: 617-407-8664 or Manos: 617-967-6266. Tickets also available online: www.greekconcertstatus.com.

JANUARY 28
ASTORIA – The Greek Cultural Center hosts its fundraising dinner on Saturday, January 28 at the Kefalonian House, 20-41 Steinway Street in Astoria, with music, dancing, great food, and raffles. For a donation of $50 or more, the GCC offers free admission to the event. The first 50 donors will be entered into a raffle to win a second free admission. For additional information, visit the GCC website: www.greekculturalcenter.org or e-mail: [email protected].