LONDON: The world’s largest halal food festival returns to London for its ninth year, with organizers anticipating more than 20,000 visitors. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @arabnews.lifestyle The World Halal Food Festival will take place from Sept. 28-29 at the London Stadium, displaying a wide range of cuisines from around the globe. The event features a carefully selected lineup of vendors, chefs and food stalls representing countries such as Pakistan, Turkey, Morocco and Indonesia, among others. Event director Waleed Jahangir spoke to Arab News, noting the growing demand for halal-certified products as the global Muslim population continues to expand. “The growing interest in ethical, sustainable and high-quality food sources has attracted not just Muslim consumers, but people from all backgrounds to halal food,” Jahangir said. A new addition this year is the Celebrity Chef Cookery Theatre, hosted by Shelina Permalloo, known for her appearances on ITV’s “Cooking with the Stars.” She will be joined by other top chefs in leading interactive cooking demonstrations. Celebrities such as Nadiya Hussain and Big Zuu, as well as actors from Netflix, are expected to attend the event. The festival has expanded its family-friendly offerings with an enlarged childrens’ zone and bazaar. It has also partnered with Our Future Health to provide a mobile health clinic on-site, giving attendees the opportunity to participate in health research and have checkups. “We also encourage discussions and conversations at the festival through interactive panels, giving people from all walks of life a space to connect over shared values of food, culture and community,” Jahangir added. Organizers emphasized their commitment to supporting a diverse range of businesses, offering smaller, local vendors prime spaces at the festival to ensure they have high visibility. The “Local Flavours” will focus on artisanal food producers, giving them a platform to show their products to thousands of festival visitors eager to explore new tastes.