Lakemba Nights, formerly known as Ramadan Night Markets, is back from February 27 to March 30.
The street food festival brings in around 60 stalls and vendors serving Middle Eastern and Asian food.
This year, Lakemba Nights will only run between Thursdays and Sundays.
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Sydney’s world-famous Ramadan Night Markets, now known officially as Lakemba Nights, will again line Haldon Street from Thursday, February 27 to Sunday, March 30 with an exclusive collection of 60 food stalls and food trucks all ready, willing and perfectly able to help anyone break the day’s fast.

Inspired by the rich culture and traditions of Ramada, this month-long outdoor food festival has supplanted similar street food events like the Good Food Night Noodle Market to become Sydney’s most famous spread of culinary treasures. The reason is obvious. Western Sydney’s soulful sense of community means many ethnicities adding to a veritable melting pot of flavours; being able to sample them all in one spot, lifted by the air of enthusiasm (and relief—fasting is tough), is one major reason why Sydney’s food scene is so memorable.

What is Lakemba Nights?

Lakemba Nights, as it’s now called, is a gift for people of the Islamic faith. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. Iftar refers to the moment the sun starts to set and a fast-breaking feast begins, running into the night and bringing together friends and families who typically enjoy a massive, celebratory feast.

That tradition powers Lakemba Nights, which in 2025 is slightly smaller with around 60 stalls. It also won’t be open everyday. You’ll only find Lakemba Nights operating from Thursdays to Sundays, 6pm to 2am, between now and March 30.

The market gets going just about sunset at 6pm but you won’t really get the rich, chaotic atmosphere until around 8pm. For the best results, head along on a Saturday. Trying to wriggle your way through crowds while biting into bright orange kanafeh is part of the appeal.

In 2024, more than 1.6 million people visited the Lakemba Nights markets from all corners of Australia.

What to expect from Lakemba Nights 2025

Lakemba Nights is the best way to tug on the multicultural tapestry of the Canterbury-Bankstown area. You’ll find all types of cuisines and flavours from Lebanese and Indian to Syrian and Burmese, with everything from murtabak to jalebi and camel burgers on offer. It’s the best way to taste Western Sydney in one go.

Want more? Think breakfast roti with lentil curries from the Cocos Islands, buttery pastries from Malaysia, slow-cooked curries from Pakistan and all the kanafeh (a traditional Middle Eastern dessert filled with cheese) you could possibly want.

It’s important to keep in mind, however, that Lakemba Nights is an event curated by the Muslim community and predominantly aimed at sustaining the Muslim community through the spiritual time of Ramadan. Previous years has seen the street festival become so popular that reasonable attempts have been made to accommodate all and make the event palatable to non-Muslims.

Because of this, you’ll likely find a few things that feel overly touristy. Ignore those and go straight for the local stalls and vendors stretching, pulling and serving all types of festive favourites.

Due to the popularity, there’s usually free shuttle buses running from 6:30pm from Campsie and Roselands. Attendees are encouraged to catch public transport as there’s limited street parking and Lakemba Night should be even busier this year now that’s only limited to weekends.

Best things to eat at Lakemba Nights

The stalls and food trucks of Lakemba Nights change each year, but there are a few constants you should be aware of before you’ve got your game plan sorted for the night.

Murtabak, grilled-fried roti stuffed with spiced meat and egg, is one of the main things to eat at Lakemba Nights and you’ll find dozens of stalls serving up this specialty. Sydney Travel Guide recommends getting your Murtabak from Burmese stalls as the spices are often more pronounced and favourable.

Biryani is another favourite at Lakemba Nights. The Indian mixed rice dish is usually served next to other options like simmering pots of haleem and crispy pakora. Try and track down the best biryani on Haldon Street, but we don’t recommend you finish the entire plate. Biryani can be very filling and you’ll want to try as much as possible at Lakemba Nights.

Knafeh is the be all and end all of Middle Eastern desserts. The bright orange, buttery dessert has melted cheese oozing out between shredded layers of pastry. It’s divine. And it’s all over Lakemba Nights, hidden between stalls slinging average camel burgers and refreshing carrot juice. But you’ll want to skip the pop-ups and go for Lakemba local favourite Kanafeh Al Andalos, a bricks and mortar that also offers a nice little bit of calm to quell Lakema Nights’ chaotic atmosphere.

How to get to Lakemba Nights

Lakemba Nights runs between Haldon Street and Railway Parade in the the Western Sydney suburb of Lakemba. The T3 Bankstown Line was your best bet to bring you straight to Lakemba Station, but that line has temporarily been closed so Transport for NSW can continue work on an extension for the Sydney Metro.

The line being closed will cause issues for people heading out to Lakemba Nights this year. If you’re coming from Central, it’s a good idea to get off at Sydenham Station and catch the bus. Transport NSW note on its website that:

“Each week, from Thursday to Sunday between 4pm and 4:30am, Southewest Link bus services will be temporarily relocated for the Lakemba Nights Festival.”

The bus will still stop along Haldon Street, which will bring you right to the festival.

If you’re coming from Parramatta then your best course of action is to get off at Strathfield and catch a railway bus from there to Lakemba.