The Brick Lane Curry Festival returns to East London on Sunday 20 September 2026, bringing a full day of food, music and free family activities to the heart of Banglatown. The event is organised by Tower Hamlets Council, the Bangla Town Business Association and the Brick Lane Community Forum, and follows a hugely successful comeback in 2025 after a nine year break.
Festivities kick off at 12pm with a colourful procession from Allen Gardens through to the Brick Lane Arch. Families can look out for three giant bespoke puppets made by Emergency Exit Arts, alongside dancers, drummers and performers including the Chinese Lion Dance troupe, Taal Torongo and Showmi Das Dance Company.
Free family activities all afternoon
Running until 7pm, Brick Lane itself becomes one big stage, with pop-up performances, dhol drummers and Bollywood Brass Band sets appearing throughout the street. Participating restaurants will serve affordable regional dishes from street-side stalls, alongside chef demonstrations and festival-themed street art.
For younger visitors, a dedicated family zone called The Gaat will offer free activities including saree draping, lungi wrapping demonstrations, dance workshops with IMD Legion and Bolly Flex, plus sports, games and bouncy castles.
The festival stage will host live sets from Bengali music artists Nish, Mumzy and headliner Khiyo, alongside DJ sets and community performances throughout the day.
Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, said the festival is a chance to celebrate the area’s culinary heritage and support local businesses, calling this year’s event “bigger, better and spicier” than 2025’s comeback edition.
Visitors can sign up via Eventbrite to register for the festival and get 20% off at participating restaurants across the weekend.
Brick Lane Curry Festival
Location: Brick Lane, London, E1
Date: Sunday 20 September 2026, from 12pm
Price: Free entry, with street food available to buy
