For the past month, Muslims around the world have been taking part in the festival of Ramadan, which commenced on March 10. Now, that period—which involves fasting every day until Maghrib—is over, and the first full day of celebrations for Eid-al-Fitr has commenced today (April 10).
Over the last month, you’ve probably seen the displays of lights marking Ramadan, and now the giant set in Central London has changed its messaging to read ‘Happy Eid’ as of yesterday evening.
This marks a historic occasion, as the switch of messaging makes it the first major light display in Europe to honour Eid-al-Fitr. 2024 is the second year the West End has welcomed lights for the festival of Ramadan, but this is the first time the ‘Happy Eid’ design has been seen in the city centre.
Since March 7, the West End has been adorned with 30,000 lights and the beautiful sun and moon decorations that represent the act of fasting, and mark the month of Ramadan. Now, the Eid lights will remain glowing in the London district on Coventry Street until April 16.
Now that the three-day celebration of Eid has begun, further celebrations will be taking place across the city. Eid in the Square returns for its 19th year at Trafalgar Square on April 20, and the London Eid festival is returning to Westfield from this weekend (April 12-14). And the lights will shine on for Eid-al-Fitr throughout to celebrate with the 1.4 million Muslims in London, and all those beyond.
Eid Mubarak!