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Photos: Greek Day brings huge crowds to West Broadway in Vancouver

by Charlie Smith on June 23rd, 2019 at 6:00 PM
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      It's been a festive, albeit somewhat cool, start to the summer on the West Side of Vancouver as tens of thousands gathered for the annual Greek Day on Broadway celebration.

      It began at 11 a.m., and the fun continues in a car-free zone between Macdonald and Blenheim streets until 9 p.m.

      The event is presented by the Hellenic Congress of B.C. and celebrates 2,500 years of Greek culture.

      It also shines a spotlight on the rich history of Greek Canadians in the Lower Mainland.

      Vancouverites often associate the Greek community with West Broadway—and for good reason, particularly after the Second World War.

      But at the end of the 19th century, the heart of the community was actually in a village on Deas Island.

      These hardy Greek immigrants lived in cabins on top of pilings to withstand the ups and downs of Fraser River tides.

      They survived by fishing the rich trove of salmon in those days.

      Of course, it wouldn't be Greek Day without healthy servings of souvlaki, dolmades, keftedes, and spanakopita.

      All of that, and more, is still available on West Broadway this evening.

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