Greek Americans Celebrate Independence Day in Boston, Chicago Parades

Thousands of Greek Americans and philhellenes celebrated National Independence Day in Boston and Chicago by attending the annual parades on Sunday.

The parade in Boston commemorating Greece’s march to freedom which began on March 25th, 1821 began at 1 o’clock just below the Prudential skyscraper. It crossed Boylston Street which is Boston’s main street and ended at the city’s National Garden across from the Four Seasons Hotel, where the VIP podium was located.

Parading were 75 departments, 9 universities, and chariots, of which the most prominent was the Boston Euboean Association which was dedicated to the great medical inventor and benefactor of mankind George Papanicolaou.

Other chariots included the Pamakedonian with Alexander the Great, the Federation with the motto for the return of the stolen Parthenon statues from the English which was the motto of this year’s parade, and the Greek Evangelical community which decorated the monument with the Amazons.

A joy to be an honorary Grand Marshall for today’s 28th Annual Greek Independence Day Parade of Boston! Love celebrating the community and learning more about Greek culture from Mayor of Somerville @katjballantyne, @BOSCityCouncil Clerk Geourntas, and so many others. Ευχαριστώ! pic.twitter.com/id81p9dmTp

— Ruthzee Louijeune (@Ruthzee) April 7, 2024

After the end of the parade which lasted one hour and forty-five minutes, the cultural event took place at the Boston National Garden where dance groups danced Greek dances.

The New England Evzones and local Greek dance troupes performed dances from all over Greece, as attendees indulged in authentic Greek food which was provided by Greek street trucks and vendors.

New England is home to over 200,000 Greek Americans and this year’s parade ws presented by various local organizations working to amplify Greek community in Boston such as the Federation of Hellenic-American Societies of New England (FHASNE).

“After a short hiatus due to inclement weather, we are proud that the Annual Greek Independence Day Parade of Boston is returning this year,” Vasilios “Bill” Kafkas, President of FHANSE said before the parade. “We warmly welcome people from all walks of life to attend the parade and celebrate with us.”

Boston, Chicago parades celebrate Greek Independence

Despite the rain, Chicago celebrated Greek Independence with a parade in Greektown on Sunday, March 26.

Presented by The Federation of Hellenic-American Organizations (ENOSIS), and sponsored by Greektown Special Service Area #16, the Greek heritage parade has been established as one of the biggest annual events in the Chicago Greek community since its founding in the 1960s.

Hundreds lined up on Halsted Street for the parade celebration, saw colorful traditional costumes, and experienced traditional Greek music, and dance troupe performances.

It is estimated that approximately 150,000 people of Greek ancestry live in the greater Chicago area.

Chicago’s Greektown, the dining and nightlife district on the city’s Near West Side, is the undisputed cultural hub for the third-largest population of Greeks living in the USA.

Greektown’s bars and restaurants, serving some of the best Greek food in the country, lie roughly between Van Buren and Madison Streets, along Halsted Street, west of the Loop.