Last Sunday saw the Mayor’s, ‘Eid on the Square’ celebration returning once more to central London, to showcase the diversity of the capital and to honour the Muslim faith.

Mayor Sadiq Khan talked of his pride in the festival and what he hopes it will achieve saying: “Eid on the Square is one of the highlights of our capital’s cultural calendar and I’m delighted that this year’s programme is bursting with talent and creativity.

The event provides a wonderful opportunity for Londoners and visitors of all backgrounds to unite and celebrate the contribution that Muslim Londoners make to our city.

Together we can continue to show that diversity is our strength, as we build a better London for everyone. Eid Mubarak!”

Joining musical performances and prayers on the main stage, Mr Khan also made a speech, in a passionate call for unity and understanding, he stated: “It’s essential to come together in unity.”

He also put forward his sincere view of the importance of cultural events such as today’s celebrations: “This is the antidote to hatred!”

In a family-friendly event that showcases the diversity and beauty of London’s Muslim community, the event had a colourful variety of culture, food and Islamic-inspired art, and performances from both contemporary and traditional music.

Joining in with the festivities, Mr Khan also outlined why he felt it’s so important and his hopes for the future:

“Unfortunately, there are people that try to spread anti – Muslim hatred, Islamophobia, as well as other forms of hatred such as anti-Semitism and anti-Hindu prejudice.

“We must recognise that London is one of the greatest cities in the world is that we don’t just tolerate diversity, we respect and celebrate it!

“I’m proud to be celebrating this festival of Eid in Trafalgar Square, which is a festival for Muslims, we also celebrate Diwali and Sikh, Hanukkah, Christmas, Easter and St George’s Day, and many other important festivities.

“It’s important to do so because it shows the joy of our religions and that being different is not a bad thing.”

Mr Khan also talked of the importance of events such as this: “What’s important is – and we see it across the globe, the rise of nativist, populist movements, and we must not be complacent. We cannot let them push back the progress that we have made.

“This event shows that diversity is a strength and not a weakness. It makes us richer, not poorer, stronger, not weaker.”

He also confided in his own Eid celebration: “I’ve been eating!

“I’ve been spending time with family, it’s a great chance to come together, but also to remember people that are less fortunate across the globe.

“We think about them and pray for them and help the charities that are doing so much great work in those communities.”

He continued, confiding what Eid meant for him personally: “For me, Eid is about family. It’s about seeing my mum, my siblings, my nephews and nieces. We came together and enjoyed each other’s company.

“That’s why Eid is so important. It’s a sort of macro scale of our homes – coming together and celebrating each other.”

The event had a wide and varied mixture of mixture of food stalls, workshops and music performances. These included: drumming, coconut weaving, calligraphy and poetry, and even comedy.

Also providing some brightness and colour to the event was Alif New Beginnings, whose members wore spectacular dresses based on Islamic imagery, such as the Eid Moon.

A spokeswoman said: “We are here celebrating Islamic culture and geometry with our costumes!”