More than 20,000 people gathered for Eid In The Park at Platt Fields to celebrate the muslim holiday.
Eid al-Adha, also known as the Feast of the Sacrifice, is the second biggest Muslim celebration in the Islamic calendar following Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of fasting during Ramadan.
Mosques across the city hosted special Eid prayers throughout the day, and Platt Fields Park, in Fallowfield, is believed to be the biggest outdoor Eid in the North this year.
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The prayers which took place at 9.30am is on the final day of the Hajj - which is the pilgrimage to Mecca or Makkah in Saudi Arabia. This year Eid al-Adha is running from Wednesday, June 28 until Sunday, July 2.
Adam Mazen, 24, from Egypt and currently studying in Wales, said to the Manchester Evening News: “The most important aspect for myself is that over 20 nationalities from every society come together and are completely equal to each other - there is no difference between ethnicity or background, it is the individual.
“After praying we will sit and eat with everybody, and you can see all the people wearing their traditional clothes from Pakistan, Africa, Egypt and more.”
Hani Ahmad, from Saudi Arabia, said: “We greet others through the words ‘Eid Mubarak', which means have a blessed day or ‘have a lovely day’. After prayers, we share traditional dishes and drinks, using the time to be grateful and blessed for all we have.
“We’re grateful for the council for helping this come together, giving us an open space so we can all pray with one another.”
After the prayers there were festivities and feasts, a funfair and local business stalls.
Manchester is also home to many international students, and so Eid In The Park offers the opportunity for them and graduates to be part of the celebration in a way in which they would have done at home.
PHD in Education student from Algeria, Khadidja Benouadah Senouci, 29, said: “It’s an opportunity for us to gather here in the park, meet different people, and celebrate together. We love talking to different people from different places.”
Students Souhila Meziana, 28, and Fatima Zahra Habbi, 29, joined Khadidja today. The friends, who have lived in Manchester for four years, said: “It brings families together where we visit aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents - it helps strengthen relationship bonds.
“We share traditional food over a meal, pray, and it is also a time in which people can remember their lost loved ones.”
Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar said: “It’s a really important festival. It’s a day to celebrate and visit families and friends.
“One element of the Eid is prayers in the mosque, and due to the capacity, a prayer schedule takes place throughout the morning where people attend at different times, and people might miss out - but in Platt Fields Park all families can come into this open space and pray together and access the stalls, and a great fun fair for the children to enjoy.
“It started off with about 4,000 people six years ago, but today was probably the largest celebration with over 20,000 people attending. I’ve met people from Greater Manchester, London, Scotland and even Sweden. We are the largest outdoor Eid gathering in the North.
“We’re up there now in terms of a destination for people who want to celebrate Eid.”
