WORCESTER, Mass. - The Albanian Festival returns to Worcester Friday for the first time since 2019 and organizers are getting ready to welcome back thousands of people to St. Mary's Albanian Orthodox Church. 

Organizers said they been planning the three-day festival for months now. Crews were out Thursday morning doing some last-minute work to get everything ready. Organizers said it takes more than 200 volunteers to make this festival happen. 

They expect anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 guests to stop by over the weekend. There will be singers, dancers and plenty of traditional Albanian food. 

"They are Albanian links, they are from my hometown in Albania, it is ground meat that is rolled together in a circular shape, similar to sausage links," said Ilia Terova, Albanian Festival Committee co-chair, of the food offerings at the festival. "The other thing you will want to try is the lamb kabob. That's pretty good. We cook it right here, pretty much. It comes off the skewers and gets put on your plate."

Doors open at 5 p.m. Friday. Free parking and a shuttle is available across the street from the church at Assumption College.