Now this is good news. You like curry, they make curry, let’s call the whole thing back on as the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Council and the Bangla Town Business Association (BTBA) have announced the return of the Brick Lane Curry Festival in September 2025. After a nine-year hiatus, this much-loved festival will once again spice up the streets of Brick Lane and will be hotter, bolder, and more delicious than ever!
Last held in 2016, the festival will spotlight the area’s legendary curry houses, showcase the rich culinary traditions of the Bangladeshi community, and serve up a feast of flavours, music and culture in celebration of the South Asian cuisine. Expect sizzling street food, chef demonstrations, cultural performances, and family-friendly fun designed to reignite Brick Lane’s status as the UK’s ultimate curry destination and help the area reclaim its title as the Curry Capital of the UK.
There will be a series of free community events on 19 and 20 September from Henna painting workshops, learn to dance Bangla style and ‘dress4thefest’ personal shopping experiences with local experts. On 20th and 21st September, there is an opportunity to visit the new Tower Hamlets Town Hall as part of the Open House Festival. The new Town Hall is in the grade II listed former Royal London Hospital built in 1767. Its restoration is part of several major improvements in Whitechapel, where new history is being created in one of London’s most historic boroughs.
The main Brick Lane Curry Festival Day will take place on Sunday 21 September from 12pm to 9pm. It will feature a variety of free events and experiences, from street stalls at each of the participating restaurants offering affordable regional and specialty dishes to pop up cooking demonstrations to festival-themed street art and live graffiti presentations. There will be a procession from Buxton Street to the Brick Lane Arch to start the day with themed floats and dancers and various roaming acts and entertainment – DJs, stilt walkers and magicians throughout the afternoon.
Today Brick Lane is a vibrant tapestry of culture, creativity and cuisine. Famed for its legendary curry houses, colourful street art, and vintage clothes stores, it gives the area a unique, bohemian vibe that you won’t find anywhere else in London. This cultural mile has come a long way from its roots as a brickmaking district. Following the Second World War, a vibrant wave of Bangladeshi immigrants, many hailing from Sylhet breathed new life into the area. By the 1970s and 1980s, Brick Lane had transformed into “Bangla Town”, a thriving hub for the Bangladeshi community. The arrival of the first curry houses in the mid-20th century turned the street into a culinary magnet that drew food lovers from across London—and beyond.
Now, the Brick Lane Curry Festival returns to honour that rich heritage and celebrate the bold, flavourful future of this iconic street. The festival is part of the new Love Tower Hamlets campaign which promotes Tower Hamlets’ destinations, venues, people and economic opportunities as offering the best of London in one borough.
Sign up via Eventbrite to register your spot at the Brick Lane Curry Festival and get 20% off at all participating restaurants across the weekend.