Chand Raat Eid Festival:

Chand Raat is a multicultural Islamic celebration/event. Chand Raat which means 'night of the moon ' in the Urdu language marks the end of Ramadan and the start of Eid ul Fitr. Since the Islamic Calendar is lunar, Eid ul-Fitr is on the first of Shawwal - the tenth month of the Islamic year.

Chand Raat Eid Festival (CREF) is a unique event as it is held at night like the Chand Raat late night shopping in various parts of the Muslim world. It is an open festival-style carnival that starts in the evening and goes late into the night. The entry to the event is free for everyone.

The aim of celebrating the CREF is to promote traditional Eid celebrations in multicultural Australia among the younger generation of multicultural society; especially those born and raised in Australia.

The festival is an opportunity for families to get together, do Eid shopping and eat delicious foods from a variety of stalls. The community groups and individuals place variety of stalls containing clothes, jewelry, henna, bangles, shoes, food, toys and many other traditional items. It also provides the opportunity for many Australians unaware of such festivities to get together and enjoy the various different cultural exhibitions. The festival also provides children amusements and rides and multicultural performances on stage.

The CREF has become a long awaited annual event where many renowned South Asian community and local leaders also participate.

The first event was held in 1998 in Chullora. Since then it is being held at different venues. For the last three years, the event has been held in Liverpool being one of the main multicultural ethnic cities of New South Wales. The Liverpool Council has been proudly sponsoring the event for the last three years.

CREF is a donor of South Asia Assistance for the Impoverished in Education (SAAIE) - providing scholarships to the needy children in South Asia.