Brick Lane’s Curry Festival

This Sunday 8th May sees the return of the annual Curry Festival in Brick Lane, East London. This is its 11th year, and coincides with the Bangladeshi New Year, known as the ‘Baishaki Mela’. As if that wasn’t enough reason to celebrate the fantastic cuisine and culture from the East, the area has also been awarded the title of ‘Olympic Curry Village’ for 2012. This status is bound to attract even more tourists than ever, so it’s lucky there’s over 90 curry houses to choose from down this famous strip!

Although the festival lasts from the 8th until 15th May, the opening day is set to be the most exciting. In the bustling street party, there will be live music inside and out, market stalls, colourful displays and decorations, delicious smells wafting through the air and a huge range of Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani dishes to try. Brick Lane is easy to get to; you can usually take a tube to Aldgate East or Liverpool Street, but watch out for station closures around this area at weekends - there are often rail improvement works taking place. Shoreditch High Street station is very close, so the East London Overground is an option, or you can play it safe by taking one of our Liverpool Street taxis in EC2 over to Brick Lane. The street party will be from midday until 7pm.

If you want an exciting al fresco dining experience with a fun, diverse atmosphere, you’ll love the opening day. There are big crowds expected, so make sure you come prepared! The day will kick off with a procession of music, dance and costumes, with stars taking to the main stage in Weavers Fields and Allen Gardens throughout the day. I’ll definitely be taking a nice, cheap Liverpool Street minicab there, so make sure you don’t miss out of the fun.