Easton Grand Iftar to be held inside mosque

Bristol's much-loved Grand Iftar will take place at its original home on St Mark's Road later.

This year, due to the overwhelming demand and unpredictable weather conditions, the event will be held inside the Easton Jamia Mosque at 18:00 GMT.

People from different faiths and communities are invited to join the Iftar, which is the meal Muslims eat at sunset during the holy month of Ramadan.

Abdul Malik, chair of Easton Jamia Mosque, said having the event inside would allow people to experience the mosque's "beauty".

"We have some beautiful mosques in this city," said Mr Malik.

"I think it's the perfect opportunity to bring people to the mosque to have a look at the beauty of the mosque inside, but also for people to learn about Islam."

The Grand Iftar was launched on St Mark's Road in 2017 and has since become a flagship event in Bristol.

This year, due to the overwhelming demand and unpredictable weather conditions, it will be held inside the mosque.

Guests will break their fast together in a traditional manner with dates and water. Packaged food will then be distributed and, weather permitting, guests will be able to continue their Iftar meal in a communal setting on the pavement outside.

Due to the high level of interest, this year's event is limited to 500 attendees and all tickets have been assigned.

To future-proof the Grand Iftar, organisers are looking into plans to design a retractable shelter, allowing the event to be held in all weather.

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