suhoor

Suhoor Fest Is the Bay Area’s Biggest Halal Food Festival

During Ramadan, billions of Muslims around the world observe suhoor, the nightly pre-dawn meal taken in preparation for a day of fasting, which one can eat quietly at home — say, taking down a couple of Medjool dates while still groggy with sleep. For thousands of Bay Area Muslims, it also serves as the occasion for the year’s biggest halal food festival: Suhoor Fest, a mammoth convocation of food stalls, art and clothing vendors, and lively Arabic music, all crammed together in a football field–sized parking lot in San Jose.

Now in its fourth year, Suhoor Fest is one of the largest events of its kind in the U.S. — so big, says El Halal Amigos owner Hisham Abdelfattah, “It feels like every Muslim in California is there.” This year’s edition will take place on Sat., March 15, from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., at the SABA Center in North San Jose.

Organized by Halal Fest, which has hosted halal food events in the Bay Area since 2013, Suhoor Fest is one of the many community gatherings that were born as a response to pandemic isolation. Founder Irfan Rydhan explains that he wanted to recreate the “back-home” feeling that Bay Area Muslims might have experienced in the Arab world and other Muslim-majority countries like Malaysia or Pakistan, where his father is from.

“Everything is usually shut down during the daytime, and then after sunset, that’s when everybody breaks their fast, and then they start to go out to participate in the street food,” Rydhan says.

Suhoor Fest is the Halal Fest team’s attempt to bring that lively atmosphere to the Bay — the streets lit up, everyone outside mingling until late into the night.

The 2025 edition of Suhoor Fest looks to be the largest one yet, with a lineup 21 halal food and beverage vendors, including a handful of prominent first-timers. Zareen’s, maybe the Peninsula’s most beloved Pakistani-Indian restaurant, will have a stall set up for the first time. Manakish Oven, a new Palestinian spot in San Jose, will sling its array of popular flatbreads. And, for visitors who like their shawarma with a side of lumpia, the Cabalen Sweet & Savory truck will be on hand to sell its unique hybrid of Filipino and Middle Eastern cuisines.

Of course, returning Suhoor Fest anchors like El Halal Amigos will once again draw some of the event’s longest lines. This year, Abdelfattah says he’ll be trying something new for his street tacos, melting cheese on the tortilla, quesataco-style, while it crisps on the griddle.

Other new features this year include an exotic car show and a mocktail pop-up. There’s also the option to buy $50 VIP tickets (admission is otherwise free) that come with a grab bag of coupons and other assorted treats — a T-shirt, a can of Palestinian American–owned Drink Palestina soda (which donates 10% of its profits to Palestinian relief), a raffle ticket for a chance to attend the Warriors’ Muslim Heritage Night game at Chase Center, and more.

In many ways, Suhoor Fest is the biggest, most joyous party of the year for the Bay Area’s Muslim communities. But this year’s event is also tinged with pain and worry, with more than 48,000 Palestinians reported to have been killed since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza and attacks on the occupied West Bank, and a tenuous ceasefire many fear is on the brink of collapse.

“Yes, it is Ramadan. It’s the most beautiful time of the year,” Abdelfattah says. “But it’s also very, very hard to enjoy all of the beautiful things that come with Ramadan because of what’s happening in Gaza, specifically.”

Both Rydhan and Abdelfattah cite the sense of responsibility they feel toward to the broader Bay Area Muslim community to practice Sadaqah, or charity, during Ramadan — to, as Rydhan puts it, always be thinking about “our brothers and sisters around the world, especially in Palestine and Gaza.” Toward that end, Suhoor Fest will be partnering with the nonprofit Islamic Relief USA, which will have a booth set up to collect donations for Gaza.

Abdelfattah will also host a separate Suhoor Night event at El Halal Amigos (with a special guest appearance by Zareen’s) on Fri., March 21, where he’ll serve beef bacon breakfast burritos and donate 20% of the proceeds to Islamic Relief.

Of course, one of the most unique aspects of Suhoor Fest is that it runs all the way until 5 o’clock in the morning — and every year, there’s always a healthy crowd that stays to the end to share a quieter, more contemplative moment with their community. After all, Abdelfattah says, “The reason why it runs until 5 a.m. is because we’re all still together to pray right at sunrise after we’ve filled our bellies.”

Suhoor Fest will take place on Saturday, March 15, from 11 p.m.–5 a.m., in the parking lot of the SABA Islamic Center (4415 Fortran Ct., San Jose). El Halal Amigos’ separate Suhoor Night event will take place 10 p.m.–3 a.m. on Friday, March 21 at 1100 Lincoln Avenue in San Jose. Zareen’s will also host a Suhoor Night at its Palo Alto location on Saturday, March 22.

Suhoor Fest, night market and food festival, hosts 3 Valley events during Ramadan

By New Times Staff

By Tirion Boan

Suhoor Fest Arizona

Find outstanding food at these 50 Black-owned restaurants in Phoenix

Phoenix deli named most iconic sandwich spot in the state: Here’s our go-to order

4 Phoenix restaurants named among the best date night spots in the country

These 11 Phoenix restaurants and bars are now closed

STAY IN THE KNOW

SIGN UP FOR THE LATEST NEWS, FREE STUFF AND MORE!

Ramadan 2025: Top 10 global cities with the longest and shortest fasting hours—how long will India fast?

Countries with the longest and shortest fasting hours in 2025: The sacred month of Ramadan, often referred to as Ramzan, Ramzaan, or Ramazan, is the ninth month in the Islamic lunar calendar or the Hijri calendar. It started on the evening of February 28, following the sighting of the crescent moon.

During Ramadan, Muslims around the globe observe fasting from dawn until sunset—known as Roza. This act is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and embodies principles of devotion, self-discipline, and spiritual reflection.

Interestingly, the length of the fasting period, however, can vary significantly across different geographical locations due to variations in daylight hours.

Individuals living in northern regions may experience longer fasting hours compared to those nearer the Equator or in the Southern Hemisphere, which is currently tilted away from the sun.

This year, Muslims in Nordic countries like Nuuk, Greenland; Reykjavík, Iceland will fast for approximately 16 hours on March 29, the final and longest day of fasting this year, according to islamicfinder.com.

Enlisted below are the top 10 global cities ranked based on the longest fasting duration for the last day of Ramadan, March 29, 2025:

Source: IslamicFinder

Those residing in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Canberra, Australia, will observe a maximum fasting duration of 13 hours on the last day of Ramadan in 2025.

Enlisted below are the top 10 global cities ranked based on the shortest fasting duration for the last day of Ramadan, March 29, 2025:

Source: IslamicFinder

In India, Ramadan started on March 2 and is expected to conclude either on March 30 or March 31, contingent upon the lunar sighting.

According to IslamicFinder, the maximum duration of fast in New Delhi will last for 13 hours 45 minutes, starting from 4:54 AM to 6:39 PM on March 30, which is likely going to be the last of this Ramzan.

Cherry Gupta is an Assistant Manager – Content at The Indian Express. She is responsible for crafting compelling narratives, uncovering the latest news and developments, and driving engaging content based on data and trends to boost website traffic and audience engagement. One can connect with her on LinkedIn or by mail at cherry.gupta@indianexpress.com.
… Read More

Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition, admits Congress’s failure to meet expectations in Gujarat. Urges removal of leaders collaborating with BJP and building a better relationship with people. Stresses on Congress’s potential to transform the state and country’s political landscape.

Global Ramadan Fasting Hours for 2025: Muslims in the Nordic countries, like Iceland, Finland, and more, will fast for over 16 hours, while those in the southernmost nations, like Chile or New Zealand, will fast for over 13 hours.

Ramadan 2025: Fasting time around the world

How long will India fast this Ramadan 2025?

MUST READ

BUZZING NOW

MAR 08: LATEST NEWS

Rank	City	Country	Fasting duration (hours, minutes)	Suhoor	Iftar
1	Nuuk	Greenland	16h 31m	3:40 AM	8:11 PM
2	Reykjavik	Iceland	16h 29m	3:42 AM	8:11 PM
3	Helsinki	Finland	15h 36m	3:20 AM	6:56 PM
4	Oslo	Norway	15h 40m	3:14 AM	6:54 PM
5	Glasgow	Scotland	15h 05m	3:50 AM	6:55 PM
6	Berlin	Germany	14h 50m	3:46 AM	6:36 PM
7	Dublin	Ireland	14h 55m	4:01 AM	6:56 PM
8	Moscow	Russia	14h 51m	4:11 AM	7:02 PM
9	Amsterdam	Netherlands	14h 50m	4:20 AM	7:10 PM
10	Warsaw	Poland	14h 50m	3:16 AM	6:06 PM

Rank	City	Country	Fasting duration (hours, minutes)	Suhoor	Iftar
1	Johannesburg	South Africa	13h 09m	5:00 AM	6:09 PM
2	Buenos Aires	Argentina	13h 10m	5:42 AM	6:52 PM
3	Montevideo	Uruguay	13h 10m	5:33 AM	6:43 PM
4	Ciudad del Este	Paraguay	13h 10m	4:31 AM	5:41 PM
5	Brasilia	Brazil	13h 10m	5:06 AM	6:16 PM
6	Harare	Zimbabwe	13h 11m	4:50 AM	6:01 PM
7	Luanda	Angola	13h 11m	5:02 AM	6:13 PM
8	Jakarta	Indonesia	13h 13m	4:47 AM	6:00 PM
9	Puerto Montt	Chile	13h 14m	6:34 AM	7:48 PM
10	Canberra	Australia	13h 14m	5:50 AM	7:04 PM