Curry fans, tikka look at this!
The Brick Lane Curry Festival returned in 2025 after almost a decade off — but now it's firmly back as an annual fixture.
Taking place in the Brick Lane neighbourhood of east London on Sunday 20 September 2026, the Brick Lane Curry Festival showcases the best of Bangladeshi and South Asian food, culture and community.
While last year's event was a three-day affair, 2026's has been condensed into one day, cramming in:
🌶️ A vibrant procession from Buxton Street to the Brick Lane Arch to start the day (around 12pm) with themed floats and dancers. Performers include Taal Torongo, Showmi Das Dance Company, IMD Legion and Bolly Flex.
🌶️ For the rest of the day, up until 7pm, all kinds of street entertainment mingles with the Brick Lane crowds, including dancing, dhol drummers and live street art.
🌶️ The important bit — the food! Street stalls from various Brick Lane restaurants, offering regional and specialty dishes, plus pop-up cooking demos. (Note that the whole event is free to attend, but if you reserve a spot, you get access to a 20% discount for participating restaurants — a no-brainer if you're planning to eat!)
🌶️ A festival stage with appearances from Bengali music stars Nish and Mumzy; plus the Bollywood Brass Band.
🌶️ The Gaat: Family Zone, offering free, family-friendly activities such as traditional saree draping and lungi wrapping — as well as an array of sports, games and a bouncy castle.
Bangladeshi immigrants, many hailing from Sylhet, have been calling this part of east London home en masse since the end of the Second World War, with the first curry houses opening not long after. By the 1970s and 1980s Brick Lane had transformed into "Bangla Town", a thriving hub for the Bangladeshi community — and has long been considered one of the best places in Britain to go for a curry.
Says Guljar Khan, from Bangla Town Business Association: "Brick Lane's famous curry houses and local independent businesses are the beating heart of the East End, built on decades of hard work, passion and tradition.
"This festival isn't just a celebration of world-class food, it is a lifeline for our high street, supporting local livelihoods and keeping our historic culture thriving."
Anyone who enjoys a curry would be Madras to miss it.
Brick Lane Curry Festival, 20 September 2026, 12pm-7pm
