29th Annual Hellenic Fest Continues Through Weekend [VIDEO]

Newport and its visitors are invited to the a downtown Newport festival to continue through Sunday in support of . The festival, marked by its blue and white striped tent on lower Thames Street, will house traditional Greek dancing, food, and a Greek marketplace.

Members of St. Spyridon will also hold tours of the church.

Sandy Giannopoulos and her husband, Evangelos, began a traditional Greek dancing program nine years ago, which has long been a favorite part of the Hellenic fest. Children and teenagers learn dances from all the regions around Greece from experts in each area to perform at the festival. View the video to the right for a preview of the dancing.

The dance program is a way to teach the kids the basics and fundamentals of dancing and music, as well as to socialize with others from the church, Evangelos Giannopoulos said.

Sandy Giannopoulos said although Newport's Greek community is small, about 120 families, it is a strong group. The Hellenic Fest serves as one of St. Spyridon's biggest fundraisers for the year, and mainly aims to attract tourists and walk-ins off the street.

“The music is amazing," she said. "Everybody, no matter if they're Greek or not, gets up and dances. It's a chance to get together. . It's a very lively crowd.”

The festival will also serve traditional Greek dishes, such as a souvlaki dinner, spanakopita, gyros and domathes. Items available at the marketplace, or “agora,” will include jewelry, music, clothing and other imported products.

The Hellenic fest begins today, Friday, at 4 p.m. and will run until midnight. Weekend Hours are Saturday, noon to midnight, and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.