THIS IS LONDON SEPTEMBER EDITION 2025 copy - Flipbook - Page 34
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BRICK LANE CURRY FESTIVAL
RETURNS
The Brick Lane Curry Festival returns
this month, after a nine-year hiatus, to
once again spice up the streets of Brick
Lane and will be hotter, bolder, and more
delicious than ever.
Last held in 2016, the festival will
spotlight the area’s legendary curry
houses, showcase the rich culinary
traditions of the Bangladeshi community,
and serve up a feast of flavours, music
and culture in celebration of the South
Asian cuisine. Expect sizzling street
food, chef demonstrations, cultural
performances, and family-friendly fun to
reignite Brick Lane’s status as the UK’s
ultimate curry destination and reclaim its
title as the Curry Capital of the UK.
There will be a series of community
events on 19 and 20 September from
Henna painting workshops, learn to
dance Bangla style and ‘dress-t4thefest’
personal shopping experiences with
local experts. On 20 and 21 September,
there is an opportunity to visit the new
Tower Hamlets Town Hall as part of the
Open House Festival. The new Town Hall
is in the grade II listed former Royal
London Hospital built in 1767. Its
restoration is part of several major
improvements in Whitechapel, where
new history is being created in one of
London’s most historic boroughs.
The main Brick Lane Curry Festival
Day will take place on 21 September from
12 midday to 21.00. It will feature a
variety of free events and experiences,
from street stalls at participating
restaurants offering affordable regional
and specialty dishes to pop up cooking
demonstrations to festival-themed street
art and live graffiti presentations. There
will be a procession from Buxton Street to
the Brick Lane Arch to start the day with
themed floats and dancers and various
roaming acts and entertainment.
Today Brick Lane is a vibrant tapestry
of culture, creativity and cuisine. Famed
for its legendary curry houses, colourful
street art, and vintage clothes stores, it
gives the area a unique, bohemian vibe
that you won’t find anywhere else in
London. This cultural mile has come a
long way from its roots as a brickmaking
district. Following the Second World
War, a vibrant wave of Bangladeshi
immigrants, many hailing from Sylhet
breathed new life into the area. By the
1970s and 1980s, Brick Lane had
transformed into ‘Bangla Town’, a
thriving hub for the Bangladeshi
community. The arrival of the first curry
houses in the mid-20th century turned
the street into a culinary magnet that
drew food lovers from across London –
and beyond.
WHEN GAVIN MET STACEY AND
EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN
Following the publication of their
forthcoming book, When Gavin Met
Stacey and Everything in Between, set
for release on 9 October via Bantam,
Transworld Publishers, the duo is also to
give a special event When Gavin Met
Stacey An Evening with Ruth Jones and
James Corden at The London Palladium
on Monday, 6 October. Full of
revelations and never-before-heard
stories, this is a one-of-a-kind event
about a show that’s already gone down
in history.
Join the duo as they recount the
rejection, obstacles and challenges they
faced on the way to giving birth to their
beloved comedy creation, Ruth and
James also explore the flourishing of
their own real-life friendship. While their
now legendary on-screen characters
Nessa and Smithy had a profound
awkwardness to negotiate, culminating
in that marriage proposal in the 2019
Christmas special, Ruth and James
forged a magical relationship of mutual
support based also on a deep, shared
sense of subversive fun.
From their tentative initial pitch to the
emotionally overwhelming final day of
filming, the duo detail what’s occurred
every step of the way, bouncing off each
other in inimitable style. Expect laughter,
memorable moments, and behind-thescenes secrets from Barry Island to
Billericay. Tickets are on general sale via
livenation.co.uk. With every ticket
purchase, customers will receive a copy
of the book.
T H I S I S L O N D O N M A G A Z I N E • T H I S I S L O N D O N O N L I N E • w w w. t i l . c o m • @ t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g
