This weekend, Tower Hamlets Council held two festivals to celebrate East London's history of migration and its rich culinary and cultural diversity following the far-right march through the capital the previous weekend.
Festivities took place at the Town Hall to honour the diverse communities that have shaped Tower Hamlets for centuries. Meanwhile, the iconic Brick Lane Curry Festival – revived after nearly a decade by the Council in partnership with the Banglatown Traders Association – returned to the UK’s “curry capital”.
Together, the two free events brought more than 22,500 people together for a weekend of food, music and art to celebrate East London’s diversity, with an estimated 20,000 visitors to the Curry Festival and 2,500 people joining the Town Hall festivities.
Describing this weekend as an “antidote” to the scenes in central London the previous week, the Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets says these festivities “show that the East End remains united and that the forces of division will never prevail here.”
At the Curry Festival, street stalls served up signature dishes alongside pop-up cooking demos from top chefs. Visitors also enjoyed henna workshops, heritage tours by local guides, Bangla dance classes, and special discounts at local curry houses across the weekend.
The vibrant programme featured roaming musicians, DJs, stilt walkers and dancers, culminating in a spectacular Sunday parade with floats and live performances. The weekend closed with speeches from the Bangladeshi High Commissioner, Her Excellency Abida Islam; author of 'The Brick Lane Cookbook' Dina Begum; chef Oli Khan MBE, who holds the Guinness World Record for cooking the largest onion bhaji; and the Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman.
At the Town Hall, a Bollywood brass band led a procession to the entrance of the building, where the Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets and Acting Young Mayor unveiled new dual-language plaques, marking the official commemoration of one of London’s most historic landmarks. The building, originally constructed in 1757 as the Royal London Hospital, has now been brought back into public use as the Tower Hamlets Town Hall. The unveiling of the dual language plaques, which was joined by the Australian High Commissioner, His Excellency Stephen Smith, paid tribute to Tower Hamlets' diversity and mirror those at Whitechapel station.
The Town Hall came alive with performances reflecting East London’s diversity, from Celtic dancing and steel bands to Klezmer music, and Bengali, Somali and Chinese cultural acts, all hosted expertly by members of the Tower Hamlets Youth Council. Outside, children enjoyed face painting and a climbing wall, while adults joined fitness sessions led by the Council’s leisure team.
Guests were welcomed by Pearly Kings and Queens sharing stories of the East End through the ages, before exploring a new photography exhibition inside the Town Hall showcasing the changing face of Tower Hamlets over the decades.
Across the weekend, the architects behind the award-winning renovation led behind-the-scenes tours of the former Royal London Hospital, with 544 people taking part in the tours of the historic building.
Since first opening its doors in 1757, the hospital has cared for millions of Londoners — including Joseph Merrick, known as the “Elephant Man.” It also trained generations of pioneering health workers, among them Annie Brewster, one of the first Black nurses in Britain; Edith Cavell, the nurse and wartime heroine who helped more than 200 Allied soldiers escape German-occupied Belgium; and Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, the first woman to qualify as a surgeon. The hospital also counts Thomas Barnardo, the renowned philanthropist, among its former students.
Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, said:
"From Jewish refugees fleeing persecution and Irish families escaping famine, to the Chinese community who built London’s first Chinatown in Tower Hamlets, and the Somali and Bengali communities who have added to this vibrant tapestry — each generation of immigrants has enriched the East End. At the heart of it all is Cockney heritage, rooted in local pride, resilience, and solidarity.
"These values have always united us. When fascists tried to march through Cable Street in 1936, it was not just one group but all the diverse groups in the East End who stood shoulder to shoulder - as one community.
“That spirit remains vital today after the disturbing scenes last week when the far right marched through London, spreading fear and division. I’m incredibly proud that we dedicated this weekend to celebrating our rich culinary and cultural diversity in East London, which has been shaped by centuries of migration from around the world.
“This weekend, we've shown what London is really about by bringing people together through food, art and culture at the iconic Brick Lane Curry Festival and at festivities at our Town Hall. Our city stands for unity and community, and we celebrate our diversity.
“These festivities right here in East London are the antidote to the scenes we saw in central London the previous week.
“The East End has always stood up to prejudice and division; at the Battle of Cable Street in 1936, after the racist murder of Altab Ali, when we stopped the EDL from marching through our streets a decade ago, and against the far-right today.
“The historic Royal London Hospital building tells the story of a borough that has grown from separate communities into one shared home. We have brought it back into public use by transforming it into our beautiful Town Hall, continuing its 250-year history of serving the people. Commemorating this with dual language plaques pays tribute to our diversity and the many generations who have made Tower Hamlets home.
“We are one of the most diverse boroughs in the UK, and we are also one of the most cohesive where 90% of our residents from different backgrounds say they get on well with each other.
“There will always be those who try to divide us. But this weekend show that the East End remains united and that the forces of division will never prevail here.”
Posted on Monday 22nd September 2025