It’s a place where everyone is welcome under the big tent.
A fleet of volunteers is getting ready, including preparing food, for the Middle Eastern festival set for June 6-8 at St. George Orthodox Antiochan Cathedral in Worcester.
“We expect about 10,000 people,” said the Very Rev. Father Milad Selim, dean and pastor of St. George. With Christine Elhoussan as chair of the festival, all preparations are getting under way, for an expected big crowd, with big appetites.
One challenge: the food is always popular, which means long lines of hungry revelers. “The food, the music, it’s all the same. One thing we are really paying attention to this year is what all festivals struggle with: making the lines move fast. We’re working hard to make sure we have a process, so people get their food.”
The festivities take place beneath a large tent; Selim said, “We are hoping for good weather, and again enjoying the great atmosphere: the food, the culture, the music. Our kids’ zone is bigger than before.”
Selim is getting ready to make a splash: “I know everyone is excited for the dunk tank,” said Selim, who will be among the adult volunteers.
Dabke dance at the Worcester Middle Eastern Festival
The St. George Dabke troupe performs dances known as dabke at the Middle Eastern Festival. St. George’s Orthodox Cathedral in Worcester June 10, 2023.
Margaret Smith, Worcester Magazine
Food, festivities
A big draw for the festival is always the meals, featuring kabobs, stuffed grape leaves, tabouli, hummus, pastries, shawarma sandwiches, and more.
Highlights will include live music, with the dabke, a traditional line dance popular especially among Lebanese, Syrian, Palestinian and Jordanian communities; beer, wine and cocktails, tours of the cathedral, a gift shop. There’s also a chance to try the hookah, a water pipe for fragrant tobacco, a longstanding tradition in the Middle East, which has found a following around the world.
Time-tested, ready to grow
The festival’s return is both a source pride for the cathedral community, and a sign of perseverance.
The festival normally takes place every other year, with the last festival held in 2023. That year marked the festival’s return after a hiatus due to COVID. The festival before that took place in 2019, which marked the first time the cathedral held the festival in 20 years.
‘Safe, fun, authentic’
It takes the work of some 110 volunteers to do everything, from food preparation to setup and take down. “We want to make sure it’s safe, it’s fun, it’s authentic, to celebrate the beauty of our culture,” Selim said. “It’s an opportunity to come and showcase the Middle Eastern culture,” Selim said.
To provide extra parking space, Selim said parking will be available at the nearby Buffone Arena at 284 Lake Ave.
There is a $2 admission fee for adults. “This is actually recommended by the police, a minimal just to make sure it’s orderly,” said Selim. “We have police hired, security hired. We have asked permission from the ice rink on Lake Avenue.
On-street parking will also be available. “The neighbors are all gracious,” Selim said. “Nobody complains.”
By all accounts, festival goers will travel a ways, with expected turnout from New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island more. “One of my people, who is really one of the backbones of the festival, said, ‘This is no longer your teta’s festival,’” referring to an Arabic nickname for “grandmother.” Selim said, “This is now a citywide festival. It’s a staple in the city. We’ve had to up the expectations on ourselves, so we are meeting the size of that group, for a festival that is a city staple.”
Worcester Middle Eastern festival
When: June 6, 3 to 11 p.m.; June 7, noon to 11 p.m.; June 8, noon to 6 p.m.
Where: St. George Antiochan Orthodox Cathedral, 30 Anna St., Worcester
How much: $2 adults; free to children 6 and under. worcestermiddleeasternfest.com.
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