One of the organisers, Musarrat Khan said that such an event had not happened since the beginning of the pandemic. Since there was not much activity in the local community, he said they had wanted to celebrate Eid in grand way this time.

Members of the Dubbo Mosque, Orana Residents of Indian Sub-Continental Heritage (ORISCON) and the Bangladeshi community from Forbes, Warren and other towns were all present at the celebration.

The event had multiple cultural performances by kids and adults alike. A band, Sapna, came all the way from Sydney to play at the celebration. Attendees also enjoyed a diverse spread of traditional Bangladeshi food like biryani, pulaos, curries, kebabs, and fish dishes. For dessert, there was gulab jamun, payesh and two cakes provided by a Bangladeshi baker in Dubbo.

"As the guests enjoyed, it was satisfaction for us," Mr Khan said.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Cr Shibli Chowdhury from the Bangladeshi community said that Dubbo mayor Mathew Dickerson, Coonamble mayor Tim Horan, Mark Coulton MP, and Dugald Saunders MP were also invited to the Eid event.

"When people come to our Dubbo and celebrate events with us, it's really great. Sharing food and love, it's like cultural sharing" he said.

He added that events like these helped to bring cultural diversity and were a way to immerse oneself in the local community.

"After Covid lockdowns there were a lot of mental health issues. These sorts of events give people a chance to overcome them and be happy," Cr Chowdhury said.

Also in attendance was Idishta Nabi, who teaches at a local public school. She said she had not had a big Eid celebration since moving to Dubbo.

"I haven't been to an event like this in so long, it's been years, but it felt like nothing's changed. It was so nostalgic... it was really reminiscent of how events happen back home in Bangladesh." she said.

Ms Nabi had also invited her friends who were not Bangladeshi or Muslim, and said they enjoyed learning about her culture and Eid. She thanked the Bangladeshi community for the "well planned" and "inclusive" evening.

Have you signed up for more local and regional news?

The Daily Liberal offers breaking news alerts, daily email newsletters and more. Keep up-to-date with all the local and regional news and support local journalism by subscribing.