Green Lane Mosque has announced the events with thousands of people expected to attend at the two festival sites A Birmingham mosque has announced two huge Eid events are to take place this month. Green Lane Masjid and Community Centre (GLMCC) will celebrate Eid ul Fitr at both Small Heath Park and Edgbaston Stadium. Eid ul Fitr, the first of the two main Eid events in the Islamic calendar , translates as 'festival of
BREAKING the fast' and marks the end of Ramadan 's month of daily fasting and the start of the next month, Shawwal. It will be the second year that both sites have been used for the celebrations. GLMCC will stage the two events either on Friday, April 21, or Saturday, April 22, with Saturday looking more likely as the date for Eid based on moon-sighting forecasts. If the
moon is sighted on Thursday - the 29th day of Ramadan for those who started fasting on March 23 - Eid will be on Friday. If it is not sighted, the Muslim community will fast for one more day and Eid will be celebrated on Saturday. READ MORE: When Eid ul Fitr 2023 is expected in
UK, Morocco, Saudi Arabia,
Pakistan Religious leaders said they would make a formal announcement of the Eid festival date next Thursday when it's known if there has been a verified moon sighting. The mosque usually follows declarations from
Saudi Arabia rather than attempts to look for the moon at home in the UK. The first of the two Eid events will be at Edgbaston Stadium, home to Warwickshire County
Cricket Club , with organisers requesting an 8am arrival. Around 2,000 people attended a similar event last year. The 2022 event began with prayers and also included food, stalls and cricket coaching for children. The second event is at Small Heath Park where arrival by 9am is requested for prayers to begin promptly at 9.30am. There will also be food and other activities including rides on Robert Wilkinson's Family FunFair, an annual fixture at the 'Eid in the Park' events. Around 20,000 worshippers are expected with last year's attendance estimated by some as up to 40,000. Organisers say that if the ground at the park is too wet from recent rain or if heavy downpours are expected on the day, then prayers will be moved indoors to Green Lane Masjid. As it will be impossible to fit the park's expected turnout into the mosque all at once, there would be four separate congregational prayers running between 7am and 10am. Further details will be provided closer to the time if weather does not permit the park gathering to go ahead. Mohammed Saeed, chair of trustees at Green Lane Masjid and Community Centre said: "Eid ul Fitr is one of the two major annual celebrations for the Muslim community, where we come together to celebrate the end of Ramadan, after a whole month of fasting. Eid is a time for the community to worship together, be thankful and spend time with family." READ NEXT: Sign up to our Brummie Muslims newsletter here Ramadan chocolate calendars are back for 2023 to mark the countdown to Eid When does Ramadan 2023 end? Last expected day of fasting ahead of Eid When is Hajj 2023? Key dates, travel guidance and how to book pilgrimage How much do you know about Ramadan? Try our quiz on the holy month Can you work out during Ramadan? Fitness expert shares rules for exercise while fasting Ramadan rules for couples on kissing, touching, sex and marriage during month of fasting