My Big Fat Greek Wedding Filming Locations: Toronto Stands In For Chicago

My Big Fat Greek Wedding was filmed in Toronto, Canada, despite being based on life in the Greek community of Winnipeg and set in Chicago. The film features Toronto Metropolitan University and the Greektown neighbourhood prominently. The home of the Portokalos family is located on Glenwood Crescent in the Toronto suburb of East York. Some minor parts of the movie were also shot at Jarvis Collegiate Institute in Toronto.

Toronto Metropolitan University

TMU's core campus is situated within the Garden District of Toronto, with additional facilities located throughout the city. The campus is interwoven with the downtown core, featuring a mix of public spaces, pedestrian-only zones, and streets open to vehicular traffic. The university operates over 40 buildings, including academic facilities, student residences, and athletic centres.

The university is organised into seven academic divisions or faculties, offering a range of undergraduate and graduate programs. These faculties include the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Community Services, the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science, the Faculty of Science, The Creative School, the Lincoln Alexander School of Law, and the Ted Rogers School of Management.

TMU is known for its diverse student body, with approximately 44,400 undergraduate and 2,950 graduate students enrolled during the 2019-2020 academic year. The university also has a strong focus on research, operating 37 research centres and institutes. It ranked 8th in Maclean's 2023 Canadian university comprehensive category and has placed in several global university rankings.

In addition to its academic offerings, TMU provides a range of student services and supports. The Student Campus Centre serves as the hub for student governance and cultural, social, and recreational activities. The university also offers themed residence floors, dining services, and athletic facilities such as the Recreation and Athletic Centre and the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

TMU's campus and facilities have been featured in several films and productions, including the popular movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." The university's campus and the surrounding Greektown neighbourhood served as prominent filming locations for the movie, showcasing the vibrant and diverse community that makes up Toronto.

Chicago's O'Hare airport replicated in Athens airport

The third instalment of the My Big Fat Greek Wedding film series sees the Portokalos family travel to Greece for a family reunion following the death of their patriarch, Gus. While the movie takes place in both Chicago and Greece, all filming occurred in Greece.

The Athens airport was transformed to resemble Chicago's O'Hare airport. The supervising art director, Grant, was able to manipulate the airport's appearance to match that of O'Hare. The production designer's vision and ability to see beyond the physical appearance of a location allowed him to transform Athens airport into O'Hare.

The cast and crew also filmed in a wealthy suburb of Athens, where they found a house to use as the interior of the Portokalos family home. The historic neighbourhood of Plaka, known for its neoclassical architecture, narrow streets, and quaint village feel, was used for several scenes.

The film crew also travelled to the Island of Corfu, filming in the village of Varipatades and showcasing the island's stunning castles. They also captured coastline views of the Greek islands, including Paros, Hydra, and Santorini, where they shot a night wedding scene.

Toronto's Greektown neighbourhood

The neighbourhood is located on Danforth Avenue, between Chester Avenue and Dewhurst Boulevard. The street signs are in both English and Standard Modern Greek. The area was renamed "GreekTown on the Danforth" in 1993, and it has experienced a wave of gentrification in recent years, with higher-priced restaurants and bars moving in.

Several scenes from My Big Fat Greek Wedding were filmed in Greektown. The strip of Danforth Avenue is home to one of the largest Greek communities in North America, and the film crew shot outdoor scenes in the Greek neighbourhood. The exterior of the school where Ian teaches, Jarvis Collegiate Institute, is also located in the neighbourhood.

Danilia village, Corfu

Danilia Village, located in Kontokali, Corfu, is a replica of a 1930s Corfiot village. It was built by the Boua Brothers in the 1970s and has been used as a filming location for several movies and TV shows, including the James Bond film "For Your Eyes Only", the ITV series "The Durrells", and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3". The village features two open-air village squares, a church, a traditional café, a large open-air tavern, and a museum showcasing hundreds of year-old artefacts from Corfu.

The village has a small museum and narrow streets with colourful buildings, giving visitors a glimpse of what life was like in a traditional Greek village in the early 20th century. Visitors can explore the village on their own or take a guided tour. The guided tour costs 10€ per adult and 5€ per child, and this amount can be used as credit for consumption at the "Kafeneion" cafe during the visit. The venue is also available for private celebrations and events, with catering and organisation provided by the Grecotel staff.

Danilia Village has received mixed reviews on TripAdvisor, with some praising the village's beauty and authenticity, while others found it underwhelming and empty. However, overall, it is considered a charming step back in time and a well-worth visit, especially for fans of "The Durrells".

Santorini

Vardalos wanted to show something different with this wedding scene, and so the cast and crew filmed from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., with the challenge of working around loud musical instruments and the slope of the town's location. Vardalos also wanted to avoid visual cliches, such as "white buildings against the blue sky." Instead, she aimed for a "nostalgic and at the same time, fresh and vibrant" aesthetic.

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