Windsor Castle hosts ‘extraordinary’ first Open Iftar in historic state banquet hall

For the first time in its 1,000-year history, the doors of Windsor Castle’s state banquet hall opened to host an Open Iftar event.

On Sunday (March 2), more than 350 guests filled out St George’s Hall, the castle state apartments’ largest room, to mark the fast-breaking meal during the Muslim month of Ramadan.

The event, organised in partnership with Ramadan Tent Project and Royal Collection Trust, saw people enjoy a meal and hear an Imam call to prayer inside the banquet hall.

Sehr Sarwar from Ramadan Tent Project said attendees at the ‘extraordinary’ event had ‘felt like they were part of history’.

“The acoustics of that room are obviously incredible and it just sent quite a chill down our spines [to hear a call to prayer in St George’s Hall],” Sehr said.

“A lot of our guests said as they were leaving how emotional it was for them and how extraordinary the experience was.

“I think everyone felt like they were part of history.”

Ramadan Tent Project is a London-based charity that aims to promote a better understanding of Ramadan though hosting Open Iftar events across the country.

The charity held an Open Iftar in Windsor Castle’s Learning Centre last year and was invited back for a larger event in St George’s Hall for 2025.

St George’s Hall often hosts international dignitaries and heads of state for grand banquets as part of state visits to the UK.

A ‘herculean effort’ to prepare for the hall for Iftar saw hundreds of meals - including vegetables, rice and butter chicken -  prepared to cater for the guests.

Sehr said: “I suppose the team [at Windsor Castle] are used to it when they host state banquets but this was quite different.

“We were all sat cross legged on the floor rather than at a palatial table.

“The team rolled out plastic matting over all of the royal carpets and it was a huge herculean effort in order to deliver such an amazing event.”

Royal Collection Trust is a charity overseeing the preservation of royal palaces and the Royal Collection; one of the largest art collections in the world.

Simon Maples, the trust’s visitor operations director for London and Windsor, said:

“After the success of hosting our first Open Iftar event last year in the Castle’s Learning Centre, we were delighted to be able to work with Ramadan Tent Project again this year.

“Even more excitingly, this year we are hosting the event in St George’s Hall, the largest of the Castle’s magnificent State Apartments, where State Banquets usually take place – meaning that we can welcome more than 350 guests to share an iftar meal together in this historic setting.

“The event has been a fantastic opportunity to welcome people from the local community and those of all faiths and backgrounds to the Castle, in support of Royal Collection Trust’s charitable aim to ensure that the Palaces and the Royal Collection can be enjoyed by everyone.

“It has been a team effort from colleagues across the Castle, working closely with Ramadan Tent Project, to deliver such an amazing event.”