By: Sarah Wright | Troy Times | Published April 22, 2026
TROY — On April 18, volunteers arrived at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 760 W. Wattles Road, to prepare pastries for the church’s upcoming Opa Fest.
Now in its 33rd year, Opa Fest will take place June 12-14. The hours will be 4-11 p.m. that Friday and Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. that Sunday.
Attractions will include tours of the church, a marketplace with a wide variety of vendors, folk dancing, live entertainment by Enigma Detroit, a children’s play area, the Iron Chef contest, cooking demonstrations, and authentic Greek cuisine and spirits to enjoy.
Helen de Avila, a member of the church’s Parish Council, said attendees can also look forward to a cash raffle and basket raffle. She said the vendors will feature items ranging from homemade olive oil to jewelry, clothes and paintings.
“Some things are traditional Greek, and some things are just (items that) everybody likes to buy for gifts,” she said. “There’s something to do inside and outside. It’s really a lot of fun.”
As a part of the festival, many Greek meals and dessert items are prepared by volunteers. They gathered April 18 to prepare Galaktoboureko, which has a custard between layers of flakey dough covered in a sweet syrup when baked. The volunteers made around 700 Galaktoboureko during the baking period, which will be reheated before Opa Fest.
“This is a real favorite of people that come to the bake sale, and it takes a village to get them made,” de Avila said. “We’re gonna freeze these and bake them that week.”
Church member Demetra Manolias was among the volunteers preparing the pastries.
“I’ll be baking a couple Greek walnut cakes and braided Easter cookies for them to sell,” Manolias said.
Dory Daskas is a member of the Assumption Orthodox Greek Church in St. Clair Shores. She chose to help with the Galaktoboureko at de Avila’s request, since de Avila helped with a Greek festival at Assumption Orthodox.
“I love it,” Daskas said. “I usually make this in a pan, but it’s been fun and great company, the camaraderie with the other ladies. I’m enjoying it very much.”
Tickets for the upcoming Opa Fest are $5 per person or $10 per family for the weekend, with children under 12 admitted for free. Attendees can also donate three canned goods per person, which will go towards Gleaners Food Bank.
For more information, visit stnicholastroy.org.