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
NEW YORK – Philo4Thought hosts the Annual Young Professionals Vasilopita Brunch on Saturday, January 21, 12 PM, at Skinos Restaurant, 123 Washington Street in Lower Manhattan, overlooking St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine. Online registration required. RSVP by January 14 for discounted registration. Event proceeds go towards Philo4Thought’s programming and annual scholarship for financially underprivileged students. More information is available online: https://bit.ly/3GI37s2.

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 21-22
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. A second performance will be held on Sunday, January 22, 2 PM. 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/.

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].

ASTORIA – The Koakos Syllogos of New York ‘Hippocrates’ hosts the traditional cutting of the Vasilopita on Sunday, January 22, 3 PM, at 41-19 23rd Avenue in Astoria. Enjoy a festive gathering with a discussion on the election of new board members and ideas for the good of the organization. More information is available by phone: 718-728-3325.

ASTORIA – The Syllogos ‘Agios Andreas Patron and Diasporas’ host their traditional cutting of the Vasilopita Sunday, January 22, 5 PM, at Dionysos Restaurant 23-15 31st Street in Astoria. Enjoy a wonderful evening with music, dinner, wine, beer, and soft drinks as well as the special music of the Syllogos by Yiannis Giannakis (Hellenic Voices at Melody Orchestra). All attendees will receive a gift directly from Greece. Donation $70. Tickets may be purchased by contacting Yioula 631-565-5721 or Ioulia 516-606-6240.

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 23
NEW YORK – The Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce (HACC), Cyprus U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Leadership 100, AHEPA, Hellenic-American Association for Professionals in Finance (HABA), Hellenic-American Cultural Foundation (HACF), Hellenic Lawyers Association (HLA), Hellenic Medical Society of New York (HMSNY), Hellenic Professional Women (HPW), National Hellenic Society (NHS), East Mediterranean Business Culture Alliance (EMBCA), Pan Gregorian Enterprises of Metro NY and LI, and Greek Young Professional Organizations host the traditional cutting of the Vasilopita, Monday, January 23, 6:30 PM at Chiotes Hall, Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, 337 East 74th Street in Manhattan.

JANUARY 27
NEW YORK – Italian actress Monica Bellucci will be playing Maria Callas in ‘Maria Callas: Letters and Memoirs’ at the Beacon Theatre, 2124 Broadway on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, on Friday, January 27. Bellucci channels the Greek opera legend in this one-woman show with text and stage direction by Tom Volf. Accompanied by the Wordless Music Orchestra, Bellucci recites Callas’ previously unpublished letters and
writings to tell the opera singer’s full story in her own words. Tickets are available now via Ticketmaster: https://www.ticketmaster.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].

JANUARY 29
ONLINE – On Sunday, January 29, 2 PM ET/ 9 PM Athens, the Eastern Mediterranean Business Culture Alliance (EMBCA) presents the ‘Anniversary of George Kastriotis/Skanderbeg (1405-January 17, 1468) the Prince of Epirus Webinar Panel Discussion’. EMBCA’s President Lou Katsos will introduce and moderate the panel discussion which will include Author and Southeast European History Specialist Dr. Kurt Brackob; Byzantine Scholar Prof. Dr. Johannes Niehoff-Panagiotidis; Educator/ Psychologist and Researcher Dr. Elena Abadzi; and Author/Poet Nicholas Alexiou, Professor of Sociology, and Director of the American Hellenic Project (HAP). Watch online: https://bit.ly/3XesTd6.

FEBRUARY 2-5
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, 820 NE 14th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, hosts it annual Greek Festival February 2-5. Enjoy delicious, homemade Greek foods and pastries, vendors, church tours, Greek music and dancing, and Children’s Fun Zone. Admission is $5, free for children under 12 and for Military and Public Safety with valid photo ID. Note that there is also free admission on Thursday, February 2 with canned food items for Broward Partnership for the Homeless. Hours: Thursday, February 2, 5-10 PM; Friday, February 3 and Saturday, February 4, Noon-11 PM; and Sunday, February 5, Noon-7 PM. More information is available by phone: 954-467-1515 and online: https://fortlauderdalegreekfestival.org.