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SOUTH AUSTRALIA'S favourite Greek festival has been cancelled for the first time in 32 years.
Organisers of the Glendi Greek Festival said they were forced to call off this year's event because of a lack of corporate sponsorship and interest in running its food stalls, while a new generation of younger Greeks was also needed to take over the festival.
Glendi Festival board chairman John Chefalachis said he was aware the cancellation would disappoint many - Glendi usually attracted up to 40,000 people to the two-day event.
"It was very disappointing for me. Personally I've been with Glendi for the past 15 years and I'm very, very saddened by it," he said.
"A lot of the other board members and committee are also very upset."
Mr Chefalachis and fellow board member Tom Ladas also said they had grave concerns for the festival's future.
"I think Glendi has become one of those events that is expected by not just the Greek population of Adelaide but Adelaide and SA as a whole," Mr Ladas said. "Whilst we are more than happy to continue to ensure that the event goes on for that specific purpose (of celebrating Greek culture) we still have to get that level of corporate sponsorship from other businesses that are prepared to come in and make it an event."
Passionate committee member Sophia Nicolaou, 23, said she was personally devastated. "I was the one completely opposed to cancelling it this year because the Glendi is just such an important event for the Greek community," she said.
"Last year we had to actually beg people to come and cook at the festival.
"But corporate sponsorship is also a massive issue; there was absolutely none this year."
Several past major sponsors contacted by the Sunday Mail said they would have considered an approach to sponsor the 2010 event.
Bartercard, which had sponsored Glendi twice, said it had been ready to sponsor the 2010 event but was surprised when it was cancelled.
"We were going to go ahead and had met with them about it but it got cancelled," a company spokeswoman said.
A spokesperson from another former major sponsor of Glendi, who did not want to be identified, told the Sunday Mail they had considered sponsoring this year's event, but had not been approached by the organising committee.
Mr Ladas said several companies declined to sponsor Glendi because of their own financial issues "rather than the event itself". Ms Nicolaou said another problem for Glendi was the age of many of those who had kept the festival going, because it became harder for volunteers to set up and cook as they got older.
"There are women who are in their late 60s and 70s who used to make lots of things to sell at the festival, but all of them are way too old now. We need more active members," she said.
Among the groups disappointed by the cancellation was the Olympic Dance Group, whose 60 young dancers had been rehearsing for 12 months.
"A couple of the little ones started to cry because they were ready to perform and were so excited about it," group co-ordinator Hellas Lucas said.
"They all look forward to performing at the Glendi."
Organisers of the Glendi Greek Festival said they were forced to call off this year's event because of a lack of corporate sponsorship and interest in running its food stalls, while a new generation of younger Greeks was also needed to take over the festival.
Glendi Festival board chairman John Chefalachis said he was aware the cancellation would disappoint many - Glendi usually attracted up to 40,000 people to the two-day event.
"It was very disappointing for me. Personally I've been with Glendi for the past 15 years and I'm very, very saddened by it," he said.
"A lot of the other board members and committee are also very upset."
Mr Chefalachis and fellow board member Tom Ladas also said they had grave concerns for the festival's future.
"I think Glendi has become one of those events that is expected by not just the Greek population of Adelaide but Adelaide and SA as a whole," Mr Ladas said. "Whilst we are more than happy to continue to ensure that the event goes on for that specific purpose (of celebrating Greek culture) we still have to get that level of corporate sponsorship from other businesses that are prepared to come in and make it an event."
Passionate committee member Sophia Nicolaou, 23, said she was personally devastated. "I was the one completely opposed to cancelling it this year because the Glendi is just such an important event for the Greek community," she said.
"Last year we had to actually beg people to come and cook at the festival.
"But corporate sponsorship is also a massive issue; there was absolutely none this year."
Several past major sponsors contacted by the Sunday Mail said they would have considered an approach to sponsor the 2010 event.
Bartercard, which had sponsored Glendi twice, said it had been ready to sponsor the 2010 event but was surprised when it was cancelled.
"We were going to go ahead and had met with them about it but it got cancelled," a company spokeswoman said.
A spokesperson from another former major sponsor of Glendi, who did not want to be identified, told the Sunday Mail they had considered sponsoring this year's event, but had not been approached by the organising committee.
Mr Ladas said several companies declined to sponsor Glendi because of their own financial issues "rather than the event itself". Ms Nicolaou said another problem for Glendi was the age of many of those who had kept the festival going, because it became harder for volunteers to set up and cook as they got older.
"There are women who are in their late 60s and 70s who used to make lots of things to sell at the festival, but all of them are way too old now. We need more active members," she said.
Among the groups disappointed by the cancellation was the Olympic Dance Group, whose 60 young dancers had been rehearsing for 12 months.
"A couple of the little ones started to cry because they were ready to perform and were so excited about it," group co-ordinator Hellas Lucas said.
"They all look forward to performing at the Glendi."
But this really says something about what is happening with cross-generational Diaspora groups.
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