The Wilmington Greek Festival is a weekend filled with great food and ways to learn about Greek culture. This year’s festival takes place May 15 to 17, 2026 at the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. Find out more details in this post (which we update annually with the most current festival info).
For more help planning your trip, check out all our posts about Wilmington, NC.
It seems like every town has an annual Greek Festival. There’s a great one where I used to live, so I was excited when we moved to Wilmington and there’s one here. The annual event happens each May at the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.
It’s filled with authentic Greek food and highlights Greek culture. There are church tours, which are educational and reverent. Unlike other area festivals, it doesn’t have a kids zone or carnival rides, so it’s not kid oriented (although kids will enjoy dancing on the dance floor while the band plays).
We’ve gone a dozen times and really enjoy it every year.
What’s different about the Wilmington Greek Festival is there’s a convenient drive thru component. That was added a few years ago and has stuck. You won’t be able to enjoy the live music or church tours that way, but you will be able to pick up some delicious food and bring it home.
What’s also really great is the festival also benefits three local charities: Good Shepherd Center, a homeless shelter and soup kitchen (which Pete and I volunteered for a few years) and Bread for Life Senior Pantry, and Hawk’s Harvest, the UNCW food pantry.
If you’re on the fence about going this year, we have all the information you need here to help you decide if you want to go (Spoiler alert: You do).
The Wilmington Greek Festival is just one of the great festivals in the Port City. For more, check out A Guide To Festivals In Wilmington, NC and mark your calendar so you don’t miss anything this festival season.
Wilmington Greek Festival 2026: Dates & Details
- Dates: May 15 to 17, 2026
- Location: St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church (608 S College Road)
- Cost: There’s a $5 admission charge for adults (kids under 12 are free) and that admission is valid all weekend long, so hang on to your ticket. Food is an additional cost.
Wilmington Greek Festival: Schedule of Events
Quick note: Food will be available all festival. You can see the menu ahead of time here.
Friday, May 15: 11 am to 9 pm
Church tours: 1:30 pm, 3:30 pm, and 6:30 pm* (* Byzantine Musical Performance)
Cooking demos: 4:30 pm
Dance performances: 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm
Saturday, May 16: 11 am to 9 pm
Church tours: 11:30 am, 2:30 pm*, 3:30 pm, and 4:30 pm** (* Byzantine Musical Performance, ** Evening Prayer Service)
Cooking demos: 4:30 pm
Dance performances: 1:30 pm, 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm
Sunday, May 17: 11 am to 5 pm
Church tours: 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm
Dance performances: 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm
What To Expect At The Wilmington Greek Festival
Food
A few tents are set up in front of the church parking lot selling various food, like gyros, Greek salad, spanakopita (also known as Greek spinach pie), dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves), baklava, and more. My absolute favorite food item has been the baklava ice cream — a bowl of vanilla ice cream topped with honey and broken pieces of baklava.
There’s a huge tent with tables and seats underneath, so you can get some shade while you eat.
There’s also a drive through event where you can purchase food (more about that below).
Entertainment
The large tent is also where the band sets up. This year, there will be performances by Lazaros, a band that plays popular and traditional music.
There’s a full dance floor and people do use that, so wear your dancing shoes. There are also dance performances at scheduled times (listed above).
Cooking demonstrations happen once each day, but it’s in a very small room with limited seating. So if you want to learn how to cook Greek food, get to the demonstration early.
Visitor’s Tips
Parking / Transportation
We suggest that you drive to the Wilmington Greek Festival because there isn’t any public transportation nearby. But, keep in mind that everyone drives, which means that College Road backs up, usually way past New Centre Drive, so just be ready for potential traffic.
There’s no parking at the church itself, with the exception of limited handicap parking.
You can park for free at the UNCW Auxiliary Lot (behind Taco Bell) with a shuttle that brings you to and from the festival.
Weather Tips / What To Wear
It’s going to be warm during the Wilmington Greek Festival this year with a high of 88 F. So, you’ll probably want to wear a tank top and shorts.
We suggest you wear sunscreen too because, even though there is a large tent at the event, you’ll be outside without shade when you’re waiting on line for food and looking at the vendor tents.
We also suggest you wear sneakers. There’s a shuttle that brings you from the parking lot to the church, but it’s quicker to just walk. You’ll be walking through grass, though, and that’s easier in sneakers than flip flops.
What To Bring
You want to bring cash with you to the festival. I don’t remember them accepting Venmo or credit cards at the admission desk (and it’s $5 to get in).
You can use either cash or credit cards when you pay for your food, though. However, credit card purchases will incur a 4% surcharge.
We also suggest you bring a water bottle because it’s hot out in Wilmington in May and you don’t want to get dehydrated.
And, pack your patience. This is a really popular festival, so it gets crowded, especially if you’re going during lunch or dinnertime. Even though there are a lot of tables and chairs, they fill up quickly. So we suggest that you have someone from your group find seats while someone else waits on line for food. That way, you’re not carrying a tray around a crowded tent looking for a place to eat.
How Long To Plan For The Festival
You’ll probably be at the festival for about an hour, if you’re only going for the food. There are long lines at each of the food tents, but they do move quickly.
The church tour does take a while, so plan for another 30 to 45 minutes for that. It’s not a walking tour, by the way. The priest will explain the building to you, why the saints are painted on the walls in the way that they are, and he’ll answer any questions that visitors have.
Wilmington Greek Festival Drive Thru Information
If you just want to pick up some food, you can use the drive-through option.
There’s a specific drive through menu that you order from while you’re in the car. Your food is then delivered to you. There’s no mobile app for the festival, so you can’t order ahead for curbside pickup service. You still have to drive to the festival for in person service.
Have you been to the Wilmington Greek Festival? Let us know what you thought in the comments.