Thousands of people are expected to converge at Presidents Park later this month for the annual Wyndham Eid Festival.
Festival president Rifai Raheem said the main purpose of the event is to bring people of all cultures together.
“Even if it’s just for one day, we want to get everybody together to celebrate Eid, and enjoy culture, food and entertainment,” he said. “We want to showcase the Muslim community and show that it is willing and ready to interact with the wider community … to increase the interaction.”
He said the festival will be a celebration of love, peace, respect and harmony.
This year’s festival will feature rides, children’s cultural performances and camel rides.
The festival commemorates Eid al-Adha, a significant date on the Islamic calendar, translated as “festival of the sacrifice”. This recalls the day the prophet Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son to God, but was told to offer an animal instead.
Mr Raheem said it also signifies the pilgrimage to Hajj, a religious duty of all Muslims financially and physically capable of completing the journey.
Wyndham Eid Festival is backed by 20 groups, including Islamic Council of Victoria, Islamic Museum of Australia, Werribee Islamic Centre and Wyndham council. It’s on at Presidents Park in Wyndham Vale, 9am-8pm, on October 1.
