A South Indian food festival is expected to draw thousands to Leicester College this weekend.
Organisers say that the ‘Malabar Food Festival,’ which is taking place at Leicester College this Saturday (July 6), is Europes biggest South Asian food festival.
The last event, which was held in Nottingham in 2022, saw more than 3500 people from all over the country take part and raised more than £15,000 for charity in a few hours.
According to organisers, this year is expected to be bigger, with more families pitching in with home made dishes, food carts, live cooking stations, caterers and a mouth watering line up of contemporary and traditional South Indian song and dance performances.
10,000 people are expected to attend the festival, which aims to celebrates the rich culinary and cultural heritage of Kerala’s Malabar region.
The famed Malabar cuisine of Kerala is said to be a ‘melting pot’ of Dutch, Arab, Iranian, Portuguese, East African and South American influences.
“There will be a kids area, workshops and around 25 different food stalls, so it will be a fun day for everyone,” said Fazil Ibrahim, Festival Director. “Nothing unites different communities like food.
“Leicester was the natural choice for this year’s event, because of its culture and central location,” he added. “We are looking forward to welcoming an estimated 10,000 visitors, with all proceeds going to support charities like Syria and Palestine.”
Organised by East Midland Malayali Muslim Association, the festival will be held at Leicester College between 11am and 8pm. It is the sixth year that the festival has taken place, and according to Fazil, it continues to grow every year.
In addition to the food and festivities, this year’s event will feature a special attendance by Fayiz Ashraf Ali who is the first person to cycle 18,000 miles from India to Great Britain all in the cause of peace and goodwill around the world.
To find out more or to buy tickets, visit: https://www.malabarfoodfestival.com/
