When will Southall celebrate Eid ul Fitr 2026?
Wed 18 Mar 2026
All of Southall will be celebrating on Friday 20th March 2026. This is for the sake of unity rather than on a reliable moon sighting.
The fact that the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar is widely known, which means that the date for Eid is determined by the sighting of the moon, making it impractical to pre-select a date.
Moonsighting activity will take place on Wednesday 18 March 2026 or Thursday 19th March 2026 (the 29th day of Sha'ban), depending on which mosque/country you follow.
The new moon will be born on 19 March 2026 at 01:23 GMT/UT and "it may be visible to the naked eye (after finding it with Optical Aids) in the UK to the Morocco region on that date (weather permitting)." according to moonsighting.org.uk.
It further states:
"However, on 20 March 2026, the moon may be easily seen in the UK and in most parts of the world. Hence, Shawwal is most likely to start on 20 and/or 21 March 2026."
Moonsighting activity took place (in Saudia Arabia) on Wednesday 18 March 2026 (the 29th day of Sha'ban), for those following Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia announced that the first day of Eid al Fitr will fall on Friday 20 March 2026. That was obivious weeks ago as the new moon will be born until 19 March 2026.
The London Central Mosque, which blindly follows Saudi Arabia, has just announced that "Friday 20th March 2026 is the Day of Eid ul-Fitr and the 1st of Shawwal 1447 Hijri." All of Southall will be celebrating on Friday 20th March 2026. This is for the sake of unity rather han on a reliable moon sighting.
Road Closures
No road closures have been announced.
The Police advised that "EID celebrations will be taking place in Southall this evening (Saturday). Please expect large crowds and heavy traffic along Uxbridge Road. Policing teams are on duty to ensure the safety for all in attendance. Happy EID."
Southall and Southall Broadway is well known for very bad traffic congestion. The festivities and issues will start on Saturday evening and resume on Sunday evening. Find alternatives routes of travel.
Celebrating on Southall Broadway and disturbing the local residents at night is not the way to celebrate Eid-ul_Fitr. The proper place is with family and friends or the mosque.
Before the Eid prayer, a fitrana (charitable donation) must be given before the end of the month of Ramadan, for the love of Almighty. It is obligatory on every self-supporting adult Muslim who has food in excess of their needs. It is to provide food for the needy. The monetary value (of the food) is approximately £6. This amount needs to be paid for EVERY member of the household.
A lot of (lazy) people leave it to the last minute and hand over the money before the Eid prayers. There is is no way it can reach the poor people in time for Eid.
Do it online TODAY - give to any charity.
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