Lakemba’s popular Ramadan Night Markets will undergo significant changes next year, as the local council has announced plans to scale back the event, raise stall rental fees — and even drop the word ‘Ramadan’ from the title.
Instead of operating until 3am daily for a month, the markets will now run Thursday to Sunday, closing at midnight on weekdays and 2am on weekends.
The night markets in Lakemba attract over a million visitors each year during Ramadan, where people come together to break their fasts. This year’s Ramadan Nights event was particularly successful, drawing a record-breaking 1.57 million attendees who explored the rich food, culture, and traditions
Over the 31 days on Haldon street, visitors indulged in a mix of traditional Islamic dishes and popular global street food, including camel burgers, shawarma, knafeh, pani-puri, Kashmiri chai, and camel milk hot chocolate.
Ramadan Night Markets Scale Back
However, with tens of thousands attending each night, residents have raised concerns about traffic congestion, parking issues, and noise.
Since the Canterbury-Bankstown Council took control of the event three years ago due to safety concerns, some Muslim leaders have expressed disappointment over its commercialisation, feeling it has strayed from its Islamic roots.
Ahmad, the manager of Darussalam bookstore, voiced his disappointment over the changes to the Ramadan night markets following the local council’s involvement in organising the event.
“It went from a few hundred people on the road to tens of thousands of people, and the sheer number of people is great, but it isn’t a Muslim event anymore”, he told The Guardian.
Ahmad expressed that the event has lost its connection to the community, emphasising that Ramadan is a deeply spiritual month, and the current atmosphere failed to reflect rituals or fasting.
“There just isn’t an Islamic ethos that frames the festival anymore. Before, it used to be centred on our prayers, people would finish praying and go out. Now the council sets the time and the streets are full, regardless of what the prayer times are,” he said.
In March of this year, the markets also incurred a $3 million cost on the funding-challenged Canterbury-Bankstown Council. The event required 120 staff and contractors to work each night of the festival.
At a meeting on Tuesday night, councillors unanimously approved four recommendations from council staff to scale back the event.
Lakemba Markets to Hit Stallholders Hard
Stalls will be relocated from footpaths to the centre of the road, ending an informal leasing arrangement where stall owners paid local businesses for space.
Additionally, rental fees will increase from a flat $6,000 to $600 per night, totalling $9,600 for stallholders operating four days a week for a month.
In contrast, a stall at the Parramatta Lanes festival can cost as much as $3,000 per night, while stalls at the Darling Harbour Winter Festival are priced at $1,320 or 15% of gross sales, whichever is greater.
The announced changes have received mixed reviews from local business owners.
Lina Daher, from Al Fayhaa Bakery on Haldon Street, stated that while her family’s shop often experiences a decline in sales during the festival, she appreciated the positive impact the event has on the community.
“I know there’s been issues with noise and things like that, I do respect that it could be a bit of a hassle for the people in the area living there,” she told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“But I do also enjoy that other people outside Lakemba can see how we are very hospitable and open to everyone coming in…The diversity that Lakemba Night Markets bring in is amazing. That’s something we strongly believe in,” she added.
Not everyone is pleased with the changes, as many worry they will undermine the event’s significance and push stallholders away.
Community Voices Concern Over Ramadan Markets Rebranding
One user on X expressed frustration, stating that the Ramadan Markets are a community-driven event, and increasing stall rents along with the rebranding feels like a commercialisation of something that isn’t owned by the council.
“If you insist on calling it Lakemba Nights, run that event on any of the other 11 non-fasting months of the year. Fucking leeches,” the user wrote.
The council is inviting public feedback to the changes over the next 28 days.
Additionally, while the state government has funded the markets in the past, it has not confirmed support for next year’s event.
The council is awaiting an update on a grant application for March 2025.
