The festival is back on Sunday 20 September, bringing regional dishes, live music, dancing and a colourful procession to the heart of Banglatown.
Brick Lane Curry Festival will return on Sunday 20 September 2026, promising a day packed with South Asian food, live entertainment and community celebration.
Following its successful revival in 2025 after a nine-year break, this year’s festival is billed as bigger, better and spicier. From midday until 7pm, participating restaurants will spill out onto the street with stalls serving affordable regional specialities, alongside chef demonstrations, cultural showcases and festival-themed street art.
The day will open with a procession through Brick Lane, featuring dancers, community groups, themed floats and three giant puppets created especially for the festival by Emergency Exit Arts. The line-up includes Chinese lion dancers, Taal Torongo, Showmi Das Dance Company, IMD Legion and Bolly Flex.
A festival stage will keep the party going throughout the afternoon. British-Bengali band Khiyo will headline, joined by singer and rapper Nish, British-Asian artist Mumzy, the Bollywood Brass Band, Osmani Soundz and a lively programme of dance and DJ sets.
Beyond the main stage, visitors can expect roaming dhol drummers, pop-up performances and music from students at Access Creative College. Younger festivalgoers can head to The Gaat family zone for dance workshops, saree draping, lungi wrapping, sports, games and bouncy castles.
Food remains firmly at the centre of the celebration. Brick Lane’s curry houses and independent businesses will showcase the dishes and hospitality that have made the area one of London’s best-known dining destinations. Those registering for the festival through Eventbrite will also receive 20 per cent off at participating restaurants across the weekend.
The festival will pay tribute to the people who helped establish the East End’s curry-house culture, including Ayub Ali “Master”, a pioneering figure in the development of Brick Lane’s curry industry during the early 20th century. Ali provided food, shelter and practical support to Bengali seamen arriving in London and later co-founded the Indian Seamen’s Welfare League.
Local business owners will honour his contribution at Taste of Jaipur, which now occupies the Brick Lane site once used as the Welfare League’s offices, a neat reminder that the street’s curry houses grew from a much wider history of migration, mutual aid and community-building.
Guljar Khan, chairman of the Bangla Town Business Association, said the festival was both a celebration and an important source of support for the neighbourhood’s independent businesses.
“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,” he said. “This festival isn’t just a celebration of world-class food; it is a lifeline for our high street.”
The festival is organised by Tower Hamlets Council, the Bangla Town Business Association and Brick Lane Community Forum as part of the Love Tower Hamlets campaign.
Brick Lane Curry Festival
Sunday 20 September 2026, midday to 7pm
Brick Lane, London E1
Admission is free; advance registration is available through Eventbrite.