Ramadan 2023: Two Grand Iftar events planned in Bristol

Organisers are working in partnership with Bristol Cathedral for the second Grand Iftar event at College Green Credit: Mohamed Abdi

A date has been set for this year's Grand Iftar in Bristol, which will return on the evening of 6 April.

It will be the first time the event on St Marks Road has run in full since 2019, with last year's event scaled back and previous years cancelled due to the pandemic. The event sees free food handed out and drew thousands of people to the road in 2019.

It has now become a tradition in the city and an opportunity for the whole community to join Muslims for an evening meal to break fast during Ramadan.

This year they would like to cater to 500 people on St Marks Road but will also hold another Grand Iftar at College Green, which will cater for around 1,000 people.

Organisers are working in partnership with Bristol Cathedral for the second Grand Iftar event at College Green and say they are 'expecting it to be bigger this year'.

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Ramadan began on Wednesday 22 March in Britain and will continue until 21 April.

Each year for the holy month of Ramadan Muslims fast during daylight hours and then eat their first meal at dusk. The meal eaten when breaking the fast is called an Iftar.

This year the St Marks Road Iftar is scheduled to take place from 6-9pm on 6 April and the College Green Iftar will take place on 13 April from 6-9pm.

The organisers decided that by holding a large event at College Green, they would open it up to people across Bristol who might find it difficult to travel to Easton.

Mohamed A Sayaqle, one of the co-organisers of the event said: "As the Muslim community in Bristol, we want to extend the gesture of generosity, kindness and sharing in Ramadan to our follow Bristolians in the city.

"The events are engaging people from all walks for life, from different postcode and backgrounds and it is bringing people together and promoting community cohesions.

It's thought this years Grand Iftars will be bigger than last year Credit: Mohamed Abdi

"We are offering food and drinks so people can come and celebrate with us."

Tickets for both Iftar events were expected to be released on Eventbrite earlier this week and are available on a first come, first served basis.

Both Iftar events are completely free of charge and the event itself is organised and put together by a team of volunteers.

The Grand Iftar has always been about uniting different communities and is a chance for Muslims in Bristol to gather in an outdoor event during Ramadan but also provides an opportunity to break down barriers between those of different faiths and cultures.