Open Arts Iftar

Join us to celebrate Ramadan.
We are partnering with Kala Sangam to host their annual Arts Iftar for a very special evening of food and poetry in the stunning surroundings of Cartwright Hall.
The evening will begin with nasheeds performed by the choir from Feversham Girls School and poetry from Nabeela Ahmed.
Nabeela Ahmed is a writer, multilingual poet and spoken word artist. Her poetry manuscript was shortlisted by Verve Poetry Press in 2023. She published her novella, Despite our Differences, in 2018. She teaches creative writing and poetry in schools, libraries, for festivals and online. She is part of a group translating the epic Saif ul-Muluk hoping to make it accessible to everyone. She hosts a monthly poetry programme called Shairana Moasam for Jammu Kashmir TV where she hosts poets who write in Pahari, Urdu and English.
What is Ramadan?
Ramadan is a month of fasting, prayer and reflection for Muslims, marking the month that the Qur’an was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). During the 30 days of Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink between dawn and sunset.
What is an Iftar?
An Iftar is the meal where Muslims break their fast, taking place at sunset, just after the call to the Maghrib prayer. Traditionally fasts are broken by eating dates and drinking water, usually followed by a bigger meal.
Why are Kala Sangam and Bradford District Museums and Galleries hosting an Open Iftar?
Ramadan is one of the most important Islamic festivals and with Bradford’s population being 30% Muslim, we want to encourage more people to share the experience with their friends, neighbours and colleagues.
Just as festivals and traditions like Christmas or Bonfire Night are shared by people from all backgrounds, we would like to encourage non-Muslims to learn more about Ramadan and to experience the community coming together to break their fasts.
The Kala Sangam and Bradford District Museums and Galleries team will be fasting for the day and welcome anyone who wishes to join us.
What will the Open Arts Iftar involve?
Everyone is welcome to attend, whether you are fasting or not.
The event will begin with performances of nasheeds and poetry.
The call to prayer will be at around 6.30 pm and there will be space available for those praying to do so (please note we have a limited number of prayer mats available so please bring your own where possible).
After prayers, we will sit down to break our fasts, starting with dates, fruit and water, followed by a meal for everyone to share. The food will be Halal and there will be vegetarian options available as well.
This event is Pay What You Decide, which means you don’t have to pay until after you have seen the event.
Pay What You Decide not only allows you to pay what you can afford, rather than a fixed ticket price but also removes the financial risk of buying a ticket for an event in advance without knowing whether you are going to enjoy it or not.
Tickets are available to book in advance as usual, but there is no obligation for you to pay until after you have seen the event. You can then decide on a price which you think is suitable based on your experience, which means if you haven’t enjoyed it at all, you don’t have to pay anything.
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