South Manchester's famous Curry Mile was filled with excitement on Monday evening as people poured into restaurants and cafes to celebrate into the early hours for Eid al-Fitr. The occasion marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, which sees Muslims fast from dawn until dusk for 30 days, with countless people heading onto Wilmslow Road, Rusholme, to celebrate.
It is the first time in nearly three years people could head to the road filled with Shisha bars, cafes, restaurants, and sweet shops with a distinct buzz in the air. Drivers blared their horns and shouted Eid Mubarak out their windows while children waved lights with smiles on their faces.
The weather unfortunately did not match the occasion with rain sending people for cover under awnings. However, it was not going to ruin people's nights.
READ MORE: Hugs and smiles in Greater Manchester's biggest Eid celebrations for three years
Andy, Dev, and Ankush arrived on the Curry Mile around 7pm and were warming up with a Kashmiri tea before heading for food. They'd waited a long time to be able to celebrate Eid properly again and were in a good mood despite the weather.
Dev said: “Everybody’s really been looking forward to, you can see how many people are here, it means so much to everyone. It’s a big celebration for what we do for 30 days, it’ll keep getting busier here.
"It's just so important. We'll be here all night, it's so great to see this many people here."
The iconic MyLahore and a host of other eateries saw people braving the rain to queue outside with Manchester United's live game pulling people into the Shisha bars. Families kept warm with hot drinks under shelter with the smell of Middle Eastern food floating through the air kept people happy.
Muhammad and Parvin were sheltering with their young daughter while waiting for their restaurant reservation. This was the first Eid they could all have together out as a family due to the pandemic.
"We've been with family all day it's been so lovely. Our daughter has never got to experience this, everyone being so kind to each other, it's great."
Celebrations are sure to continue long into the night after a day across Greater Manchester where families and friends gathered eat and toast the end of Ramadan.
Up to 20,000 are thought to have gathered at nearby Platt Fields where this year's Eid in the Park event took place, with a clean up well under way as Curry Mile filled up. More than 1,000 attended the two morning prayer sessions at Ashton Central Mosque, while hundreds more turned out at Masjid e Hamza in the Tameside town's west end.
At Ashton Central Mosque, each member of the congregation donated money to go towards two meals for one person in need, while another collection went towards the mosque following a £50,000 shortfall due to the pandemic. Shayful Islam, head of mosque management at Masjid e Hamza, raised funds for a woman in Bangladesh who needs an amputation.
Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar earlier stressed how important today's turnout was for the community. He said: "People were really looking forward to this. When you go back to the Eid 2020, the restrictions were announced on the eve of Eid. It was a big disappointment."
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