The Hunter's Muslim community began celebrations for Eid al-Adha on Wednesday with prayers, food and a lot of colour.
Mayfield Mosque marked the start of four-day festivities with prayer at Foreshore Park. Almost 1,500 people attended.
Imam Mohamed Hamed said many people had joined from mosques as far at Maitland to be part of the large celebration.
"Many people first prayed at their own mosques but joined here after," he said. "They told us 'we prayed there but we wanted to join here to enjoy the food and activities'."
Eid al-Adha is the second of two major holidays in the Islamic community each year. It honours the willingness of Ibrahim - or Abraham in Christian teaching - to sacrifice a son.
The dates change each year depending on the Islamic lunar calander.
"This celebrates a sacrifice centuries ago. It is mentioned in the Torah, Bible and Quran," Imam Mohamed said.
The mosque has worshippers from more than 40 ethnicities who all joined the event. They shared food and enjoyed activities like camel rides and kids' games.
"We had different stalls for different cultures," Imam Mohamed said. "We celebrate together - Pakistani, Bengali, Indian, Arab - [each] served their food and dessert attached to this day.
"People wore the dress they would wear in their home country," he said.
Despite fears of rain, Imam Mohamed said prayers were answered and showers held off until just after lunch.
"We were scared because the forecast was heavy but we kept praying," he said. "All morning, it was ok."
Imam Mohamed said people will now celebrate in cultural groups for the final three days of Eid al-Adha.
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