Organized by the Multicultural Ethnic-Link Teen Centre and the city’s halal certification board, the festival brought together 12 halal-certified food businesses, offering a wide range of cuisines.

Sohel Ahmed, a seasoned veteran in Hong Kong’s food industry, is bringing halal Italian cuisine to the city to offer a unique dining experience for everyone, regardless of their background. With over 30 years in the industry, Ahmed has adapted traditional Italian recipes to meet halal standards by replacing ingredients like wine with grape juice to maintain authenticity.

The event, which showcased his halal dishes, received praise for its freshness and organization. Attendees, including both locals and visitors, appreciated the authentic flavors and learned more about halal food culture, especially as it was prepared by Muslim chefs.

The Shangri-La hotel, which holds the highest level of halal-friendliness certification in Hong Kong, also participated. Director of operations Mark Bannon explained how their rice dumplings—prepared without pork in a halal kitchen—offered a Muslim-friendly twist on a Chinese classic.

The hotel received a five-star CrescentRating in halal-friendliness, which Bannon said has positively impacted their appeal to Muslim travelers.

In his 2024 Policy Address, Chief Executive John Lee pledged to boost Muslim-friendly travel.

As of March 2025, the number of halal-certified restaurants in Hong Kong has doubled, rising from about 100 to 200. More such festivals and initiatives are planned to further support cultural understanding and tourism.

Source: AboutIslam.net

The World Halal Food Festival will take place from Sept. 28-29 at the London Stadium, displaying a wide range of cuisines from around the globe.

The event features a carefully selected lineup of vendors, chefs and food stalls representing countries such as Pakistan, Turkey, Morocco and Indonesia, among others.

Event director Waleed Jahangir spoke to Arab News, noting the growing demand for halal-certified products as the global Muslim population continues to expand.

“The growing interest in ethical, sustainable and high-quality food sources has attracted not just Muslim consumers, but people from all backgrounds to halal food,” Jahangir said.

A new addition this year is the Celebrity Chef Cookery Theatre, hosted by Shelina Permalloo, known for her appearances on ITV’s “Cooking with the Stars.” She will be joined by other top chefs in leading interactive cooking demonstrations. Celebrities such as Nadiya Hussain and Big Zuu, as well as actors from Netflix, are expected to attend the event.

The festival has expanded its family-friendly offerings with an enlarged childrens’ zone and bazaar. It has also partnered with Our Future Health to provide a mobile health clinic on-site, giving attendees the opportunity to participate in health research and have checkups.

“We also encourage discussions and conversations at the festival through interactive panels, giving people from all walks of life a space to connect over shared values of food, culture and community,” Jahangir added.

Organizers emphasized their commitment to supporting a diverse range of businesses, offering smaller, local vendors prime spaces at the festival to ensure they have high visibility.

The “Local Flavours” will focus on artisanal food producers, giving them a platform to show their products to thousands of festival visitors eager to explore new tastes.

Source: Arab News

Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, the Illinois Muslim Chamber of Commerce (ILMCC) hosted its second annual Naperville Halal Fest to celebrate the cultural diversity of the area, on Saturday, August 3, at Frontier Park in Naperville, Chicago. The ILMCC coordinated it with assistance from other groups. Tickets were required to enter the festival. From 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., guests enjoyed a wide variety of Muslim and Islamic traditions, food, music, and more. An estimated fifteen thousand individuals attended this festival.

Tariq Karim, the Pakistani consul general in Chicago, attended the festival with his diplomatic delegation as well. In addition to them, the consul generals of Turkmenistan and Indonesia took part. Numerous members of Congress, state senators, state representatives, and municipal elected officials were among the elected officials present at the occasion. Everyone was enthralled with the cultural performance of the evening. Additionally, Scott Wehrli, the mayor of Naperville County, made an appearance with his cabinet.

2nd Annual Naperville Halal Fest – August 2024.

The goal of the Halal Food Festival, according to the event’s organizers, is to showcase the rich cultural legacy and varied culinary customs associated with Halal cuisine.

Chicago local exhibitors participated in this market from a variety of nations, including Pakistan, Turkey, Jordan, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Mexico, France, Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan, Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria. They set up delicious food stalls.

A great deal of people enjoyed their favorite foods, and the stall owners gained everyone’s affection by serving delectable meals at affordable prices. At the food festival, 200 different sorts of meals were created by shopkeepers from various countries. A schedule of good-natured events was set up for all the female festival visitors.

John, one of the guests, stated this was his first time attending a Muslim event. It is impossible to emphasize how good the halal meal was. Along from food, the focal point of the festival shifted to vendors offering apparel, trinkets, paper kites, and other goods. At these stalls, women went shopping.

There were bounce houses, pony and camel rides, and other kid-friendly activities available. All throughout the day, the kids played sports and had a great time. A wide range of additional events were also offered by the festival, such as face painting, henna, circus performances, a kid-friendly inflatable area, and a cultural mart.

Pakistani entrepreneurs in North America are celebrating culture and community in the top halal event of 2024, according to a speech made by Pakistan’s consul general Tariq Karim, who also highlighted the country’s halal food sectors.

The mayor of Naperville, Scott Wehrli, stated his admiration for the event, meeting a sizable Muslim community, and enjoying halal cuisine. He became very delighted to see the enormous crowd and that the festival is better than last year. At the 2024 Halal Festival, renowned entrepreneur Anisa Mathana was awarded the highest honor.

The distinguished position of community leader was bestowed upon Ahmed Abdul Qadeer. Chicago Muslim Police Officer Syed Qadri received the Excellence in Service Award at the Halal Festival 2024, where he also earned the Leadership Award. He has eighteen years of police service under his belt.

According to Shafiq Abubakar, President of the Muslim Chamber of Commerce, these events are crucial to maintaining the unity of the Muslim community. The non-profit Illinois Muslim Chamber of Commerce works to advance the economic growth of the Muslim community.

Source: Patch.com