NEW YORK – 2026 is a milestone for Hellenism and the Hellenism of the Diaspora, as we honor two important historical anniversaries: the 205th anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821 and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America in 1776. On the occasion of these two anniversaries, a cultural event was held with great success on Sunday, March 29, 2026 at the Stathakio Cultural Center, hosted by Nomiki Kastana (Chair of the 2026 Parade Cultural Committee) and Dimitris Filios (Chair of the 2026 Parade Public Relations Committee). The hall also hosted the exhibition “The Greek Revolution (1821-1829) Through American Eyes” by Stockton University (under the direction of Dr. Tom Papadimitriou) and the Maliotis Cultural Center). The exhibits will remain at Stathakio until the day of the parade on Sunday, April 26, 2026.
Welcome and greetings were delivered by the Consul of Greece in New York, Petros Dorizas, and the General Manager of the Greek Parade 2026 Committee, Elias (Lou) Katsos.
The event began with a prayer by His Eminence Archimandrite Fr. Petros Gomez, priest of St. Demetrius. The United States National Anthem was performed by Victoria Anastasia Arvanitis and the Greek National Anthem by Matina Panagos. This was followed by the presentation of awards to the three winners of the student exhibition competition: 1st Prize to Alexia Theodoropoulou (from St. Demetrius School – Astoria), 2nd Prize to Nicoletta Kakava (from Holy Cross Demetrius and Georgia Kaloidi School – Brooklyn), and 3rd Prize to Stella Galani (from St. Demetrius School – Astoria)
Then, the Educational Excellence Award was presented by the President of the 2026 Greek Parade Committee, Elias (Lou) Katsos, to the Hellenic American School of the St. Demetrius Cathedral Community of Astoria. The honorary plaque was received by the school’s Deputy Principal, Eleni Karagiorgou, and the President of the Community, Nikos Papaioannou. The main part of the event was an interactive experience, which, using music and multimedia, presented the historical analysis of the events. The narration, the audiovisual material and the accompaniment of live music, thus created unique experiences for the audience. The two historical guides of the evening were Dr. Konstantinos Hatzidimitriou and Dr. Evangelos Athanasopoulos. The expressive voice of Grigoris Maninakis, flanked by the voices of Angeliki Psoni and Nikitas Tabakis, were combined with the expressive sounds of Glafkos Kontemeniotis on the piano, Kostas Psarros on the bouzouki, Lefteris Bournias on the clarinet and Errikos Vlesmas on the double bass. The technical director of the event, Petros Hatzopoulos, contributed to the coordination of the presentation, during which, in less than two hours, 273 slides were shown containing 42 photographs-representations of events of 1821, 20 snapshots from films, documentaries and historical revival scenes, 62 images from classical paintings and engravings, 103 images constructed with the help of artificial intelligence and the lyrics of the 13 songs performed in English and Greek. The event took place in the packed hall of Stathakios and with frequent enthusiastic reactions and applause from the audience. In the epilogue of the event, the President of the 2026 Hellenic Parade Committee, Elias (Lou) Katsos, described the evening as the best and most successful event in recent years and pointed out that the performance managed to highlight the living connection between Greek and American history, confirming that the values of freedom, democracy and cultural identity remain timeless and relevant. For more information: Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York Email: nyhellenicsocieties@gmail.com Phone: (718) 204-6500
Welcome and greetings were delivered by the Consul of Greece in New York, Petros Dorizas, and the General Manager of the Greek Parade 2026 Committee, Elias (Lou) Katsos.
The event began with a prayer by His Eminence Archimandrite Fr. Petros Gomez, priest of St. Demetrius. The United States National Anthem was performed by Victoria Anastasia Arvanitis and the Greek National Anthem by Matina Panagos. This was followed by the presentation of awards to the three winners of the student exhibition competition: 1st Prize to Alexia Theodoropoulou (from St. Demetrius School – Astoria), 2nd Prize to Nicoletta Kakava (from Holy Cross Demetrius and Georgia Kaloidi School – Brooklyn), and 3rd Prize to Stella Galani (from St. Demetrius School – Astoria)
Then, the Educational Excellence Award was presented by the President of the 2026 Greek Parade Committee, Elias (Lou) Katsos, to the Hellenic American School of the St. Demetrius Cathedral Community of Astoria. The honorary plaque was received by the school’s Deputy Principal, Eleni Karagiorgou, and the President of the Community, Nikos Papaioannou. The main part of the event was an interactive experience, which, using music and multimedia, presented the historical analysis of the events. The narration, the audiovisual material and the accompaniment of live music, thus created unique experiences for the audience. The two historical guides of the evening were Dr. Konstantinos Hatzidimitriou and Dr. Evangelos Athanasopoulos. The expressive voice of Grigoris Maninakis, flanked by the voices of Angeliki Psoni and Nikitas Tabakis, were combined with the expressive sounds of Glafkos Kontemeniotis on the piano, Kostas Psarros on the bouzouki, Lefteris Bournias on the clarinet and Errikos Vlesmas on the double bass. The technical director of the event, Petros Hatzopoulos, contributed to the coordination of the presentation, during which, in less than two hours, 273 slides were shown containing 42 photographs-representations of events of 1821, 20 snapshots from films, documentaries and historical revival scenes, 62 images from classical paintings and engravings, 103 images constructed with the help of artificial intelligence and the lyrics of the 13 songs performed in English and Greek. The event took place in the packed hall of Stathakios and with frequent enthusiastic reactions and applause from the audience. In the epilogue of the event, the President of the 2026 Hellenic Parade Committee, Elias (Lou) Katsos, described the evening as the best and most successful event in recent years and pointed out that the performance managed to highlight the living connection between Greek and American history, confirming that the values of freedom, democracy and cultural identity remain timeless and relevant. For more information: Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York Email: nyhellenicsocieties@gmail.com Phone: (718) 204-6500
