--- title: "Big Iftar 2025: How Interfaith Open Iftars Expanded to New" description: "The Big Iftar movement grew in Ramadan 2025 with first-time events in Newcastle, Sheffield, Plymouth, and Norwich — plus larger civic iftars in London" url: https://globalprayertimes.org/blog/interfaith-big-iftar-expansion-uk-2025/ source: Global Prayer Times --- # Big Iftar 2025: How Interfaith Open Iftars Expanded to New The Big Iftar movement grew in Ramadan 2025 with first-time events in Newcastle, Sheffield, Plymouth, and Norwich — plus larger civic iftars in London Community · 28th March 2025 · 5 min read · Global Prayer Times Editorial Team Big Iftar 2025: How Interfaith Open Iftars Expanded to New UK Cities The Big Iftar movement grew in Ramadan 2025 with first-time events in Newcastle, Sheffield, Plymouth, and Norwich — plus larger civic iftars in London, Birmingham, and Edinburgh hosting MPs, clergy, and thousands of guests. Quick Answer The Big Iftar movement grew in Ramadan 2025 with first-time events in Newcastle, Sheffield, Plymouth, and Norwich — plus larger civic iftars in London, Birmingham, and Edinburgh hosting MPs, clergy, and thousands of guests. The Big Iftar invites non-Muslims to break Ramadan fast with Muslim hosts in mosques, churches, town halls, and parks. — Global Prayer Times. The Big Iftar invites non-Muslims to break Ramadan fast with Muslim hosts in mosques, churches, town halls, and parks. Ramadan 2025 marked the movement's widest geographic spread yet: established cities scaled up while at least four new host cities — Newcastle, Sheffield, Plymouth, and Norwich — held inaugural Big Iftar events coordinated by local mosques and interfaith councils. 2025 expansion highlights In London, the Mayor's Ramadan iftar at City Hall seated 400 guests including diplomats and NHS leaders. Birmingham's 'Iftar in the Park' returned to Cannon Hill Park with an estimated 3,500 attendees over one weekend. Edinburgh Central Mosque hosted Scottish Parliament members alongside Church of Scotland ministers. Newcastle's first Big Iftar at the Tyneside Islamic Centre drew 180 guests — mostly university staff and medical students who had never visited a mosque. Why cities join New host cities cited the same motivations: repair community fractures after contentious news cycles, welcome refugees, and normalise mosque buildings as public assets. Plymouth's 2025 iftar was held in a mosque hall overlooking the harbour; the imam's welcome speech noted that many guests' ancestors arrived by sea while today's refugees arrive by different routes but share the same need for welcome. Sheffield: joint mosque–cathedral iftar with shared catering by both congregations Norwich: UEA Islamic Society and local mosque fed 120 guests in the mosque garden Leeds: Big Iftar street stall on Brudenell Road for students and neighbours Online hybrid iftars: livestreams for rural Muslims far from mosque events O mankind, We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes so that you may know one another. — Quran 49:13 Big Iftar 2025 confirmed a simple metric: every new city that tries it once usually books again. The meal ends, but the invitation list becomes an annual civic calendar entry — dates, rice, and dignitaries included. Share: WhatsApp X Copy link More from the Knowledge Hub Community Muslims on the Frontline: How British Muslims Showed Up During the COVID-19 Pandemic 7 min read Community The Big Iftar: How Sharing a Meal is Breaking Down Barriers Across Britain 5 min read Islamic Knowledge Seerah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: The Complete Biography — Birth, Revelation, Hijra and Legacy 20 min read Charity & Impact UK Muslims: Britain's Most Generous Faith Community — The Numbers Behind Muslim Charity 7 min read — Global Prayer Times. Source: https://globalprayertimes.org/blog/interfaith-big-iftar-expansion-uk-2025/