More than 10,000 celebrate Lebanese culture in Redwood City

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (KGO) -- The sounds of traditional Lebanese music wafted through downtown Redwood City as the 8th annual Lebanese Festival got underway in Courthouse Square.

More than 12,000 people are expected to have attended this year after a scorching hot, 100+ degree day kept people at home in 2017. The celebration of Lebanese culture included food, music and cultural exhibits.

Volunteers worked throughout the night to prepare thousands of pounds of chicken kebab meat along with 6,000 pounds of tabbouleh salad made of parsley, tomato lemon juice, olive oil and spices.

At the dessert tents, revelers indulged in a range of sweets including baklava and atayef, a Lebanese pancake stuffed with dates and rose water syrup.

The festival benefits the Maronite Church.