An event billed as B.C.’s first ever halal food festival is coming to Surrey this summer.
BC Halal Food Fest is planned for Sunday, July 10 at Surrey Civic Plaza as an eight-hour event with nearly three dozen food vendors, some drink stands, Eid activities and more, starting at noon.
The free-admission event will be primarily attracting a Muslim crowd/audience, event organizers say, but will be open to other communities as well.
“The event is a family event, and is meant for friends and families to come and celebrate Eid together,” says a sponsorship proposal from festival presenter Digital Egg. “People from all around Metro Vancouver will be in attendance – primarily Surrey, Burnaby, Vancouver, Coquitlam and Langley.”
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Eid-ul Adha is an Islamic holiday celebrated from July 9-13 this year. Islamic dietary laws dictate whether food is “halal,” or permissible, with pork among foods not allowed.
With close to 100,000 Muslims living in B.C., the halal food scene has grown tremendously in the last decade, according to a post on the festival website, bchalalfoodfest.ca.
“Celebrate this Eid-ul Adha like no other, with our grand outdoor event featuring a variety of halal food/drink vendors, fun/entertainment & more.”
Yosof Hakimi, organizer of Halal Food Fest, said the event aims to “promote diversity and multiculturalism within the halal food scene in British Columbia.”
Vendors and event sponsors are sought by Digital Egg, a local food marketing agency, whose goal is “to strengthen and unite the Halal food community to create a delicious collection of vibrant cultures and traditions in our own little corner of the world.”
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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