Almost £4,000 in funding from the Housing Executive is being invested to bring Belfast’s first ever Eid Festival to life.
Organised by the Belfast Islamic Centre, the event is taking place on Sunday, August 11 at the Botanic Gardens and it is already sold out.
Eid al-Adha is an important celebration of the Prophet Ibrahim when food is shared with the relatives, friends and the poor.
Organiser Zoreena Ahmed, from North Belfast explains, “In the Muslim community we have a saying; ‘How we gather is how we live’.
“That’s the spirit in which the Eid Festival is being held and the Botanic Gardens will be a riot of colour, noise, taste and smells as the best of our community will be on show.
“There’ll be free activities for children, craft stalls, cultural stands, Henna tattoo artists and sensory tents.
“Food from all around the world will be on sale, with vegetarian, vegan and halal options as well as all the local favourites.
“We really want people to come along and sample the very best Islamic welcome in the heart of the city of Belfast.”
Sylwia McAvoy, Race Relations Officer at the Housing Executive, believes; “We see this is as an important outreach opportunity aimed at promoting settled and sustainable neighbourhoods in our city.
“We can all learn from each other and what better way to promote dialogue than eating, playing and promoting enjoyment together as a community.
“For us, community cohesion is paramount and we congratulate the Belfast Islamic Centre for taking this brave and important step in putting the best of their culture on show for the rest of us to enjoy.”
For more information go to our Community Cohesion section
