Manchester is already well-known for its weekly food and drink festivals that bring everything from plant-based goodies to global craft beers to the city.
Yet another date in the diary for local food lovers this August, a festival featuring over 150 Halal food traders is heading to Bowler’s Exhibition Centre. The festival will run from Saturday 19 – Sunday 20 and will showcase a huge range of Halal food from around the world.
Following the success of last year’s event, which attracted over 20,000 hungry punters, the indoor food festival has already confirmed a star-studded line-up of chefs, local independent restaurants and lifestyle brands that will be available to browse next month.
Celebrity chefs including Mia Dia from The Islam Channel and KanD Man from the BBC Asian Network will be cooking live for audiences, as an artisan market offering interiors, art, crafts, fashion, beauty and more takes place, too.
At the food tents, visitors can expect dishes from traders including Afrikana, Redfern Kitchen, Myos Japanese Fusion, The Dutch Fishmen and Cleopatra from the Middle East. There’ll also be artisan hot dogs from Malik Butchers, and Piccadilly Gardens fave Afro-Caribbean pop-up Ritas Reign will be on hand with their packed boxes of Jerk Chicken.
Bilal Khan, festival director at The Halal Food Festival 2023 said: "Being able to host The Halal Food Festival is like a dream come true, bringing friends and families together to socialise, eat, and celebrate the Halal lifestyle. We encourage all walks of life to join us to learn a little more about our integration into the UK. It is also a great opportunity for us to champion Halal businesses, hoping to take them from being small start-ups to leading enterprises in their respected fields.”
The festival will be open from 11am-7pm on both Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are available at the Halal Food Festival website, with prices starting from £7.