How To Celebrate Eid Al-Fitr In Chicago

Eid al-Fitr is an important holiday in the Islamic calendar, celebrating the end of Ramadan and the beginning of the Islamic month of Shawwal. After the fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, Eid is all about families and communities gathering to celebrate with prayers, feasts and festivals. Eid means “festivity” in Arabic, so here’s how to get festive in Chicago.

Eid Fest 2017

Describing itself as Chicago’s greatest Eid celebration and growing with each year, the seventh annual Eid Fest will be held by the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) Chicago at the Islamic Foundation in Villa Park. Over the weekend of July 7—9, there will be a carnival with two nights of fireworks, a variety of halal food vendors, a shopping bazaar, as well as rides, activities and entertainment for all ages.
A post shared by Hafsa Siddiqui (@hsiddiq2) on Jul 24, 2016 at 9:05pm PDT

Eid Expo 2017

Held for the first time in 2016, Eid Expo saw thousands of Muslims from across the Midwest gather at Navy Pier. Managed by the American Pan-Islamic Community Council (APICC) and organized by the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC) and Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA), one of the Eid prayers was led by Imam Zaid Shakir, who also led the prayers at Muhammad Ali’s funeral. The event also included an array of halal food, a shopping Bazaar and henna artists. Look out for this year’s event, which will be held on June 24 and 25.
A post shared by Maria ❤ (@mariapinkx) on Sep 10, 2016 at 2:31pm PDT

Established in 1976 to provide a space for Muslims to attend Friday prayers within the Loop, the Downtown Islamic Center (DIC) is a mosque and community center offering educational classes, programs for children and daily prayers. Education and community service are the focus of the DIC, so what better place to celebrate the first Eid of the year? Join in the prayers and make your charitable donation.
A post shared by rio (@mogerz) on Mar 24, 2017 at 10:51am PDT

Sweet Eid

Eid is also often called Sweet Eid or the Sweet Festival due to the large amount of candy, cakes, sweet dishes and other treats enjoyed after a month of fasting. Different countries and regions favor different traditions and specialities, including sheer khurma, a sweet milky dessert made with sugared noodles with dates, and barfi, a Indian confectionery made from condensed milk, nuts, sugared almonds, pastries, butter cookies and baklava. Tahoora Sweets & Bakery and Sukhadia’s Sweets and Snacks in West Ridge are good places to stock up.
A post shared by Tory Corrine (@torycorrine) on Feb 21, 2017 at 7:07am PST

Break the fast in style

It is forbidden to fast on the Day of Eid, so take advantage of that with a visit to one or more of Chicago’s many great halal restaurants. Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Indian options are available all over the city, including The Halal Guys, Bombay Wraps, Taza Cafe and Chapati Grill.
A post shared by The Halal Guys (@thehalalguys) on Mar 29, 2017 at 12:21pm PDT

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.