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Maher Centre is a walima venue in Leicester built for the big feast: up to 1,000 guests seated in one pillarless hall, segregated seating if you want it, an alcohol-free celebration, halal food from the caterer of your choice and an industrial kitchen to cook it in. Five to ten minutes from M1 Junction 21, with a 350+ space private car park.
The walima is the wedding feast, traditionally hosted by the groom’s family once the marriage has taken place. Its purpose is generous and public: to announce the marriage, give thanks and share food with as many people as possible. That generosity is exactly why walima guest lists grow: relatives from across the UK, friends from the mosque, colleagues, neighbours.
So a walima venue has to do three things well:
Food is the heart of the walima. These are the service styles families use most at Maher Centre: talk them through with your caterer.
Starters, mains and desserts brought to each round table. Guests stay seated, elders are looked after and segregated sides are served separately. Needs a well-staffed caterer.
Several serving stations rather than one long queue, ideally one or more per side of the room. Good for very large guest lists.
Mains to the table, then guests get up for desserts, kulfi, chai or coffee. It breaks up the evening and gets people mingling.
Whichever style you choose, the caterer is yours: from our partner network or your own, welcomed through our Partner Programme. Beef and pork are not served on the grounds of the Maher Centre, so lamb, mutton, chicken, fish and vegetarian dishes take centre stage.
The hall is one 1,100m² space. Here is how it is commonly arranged for a walima.
Your booking covers a full 12 hours including about two hours of set-up and two of pack-down: up to around eight hours of event time, so nothing feels rushed.
Good for families with elderly guests or travel home afterwards. Dhuhr usually falls in the middle: plan a pause before food service.
Feels grander under the LED lighting and chandeliers. In winter, Maghrib and Isha may both fall during the event, so put them in the running order.
We don’t have a dedicated prayer room. Agree a quiet, clean area for salah with the event manager while planning the layout.
Holding the walima the day after the wedding? Your caterer and décor team start fresh, so it never feels like a rushed reset of the night before.
Plan when the couple enter, when family photos happen and when speeches or duas take place, and share it with the event manager.
Staging comes with your hire, ready for your décor team to dress for the couple.
Every walima has its own look: soft pastels, deep jewel tones, all-white florals. Your event manager helps you design it, and our partner network covers décor, lighting and photography.
Planning the full wedding? See our Muslim wedding venue page, the nikah venue page and our guide to planning a 1,000-guest wedding.
GRAND AISLE
FULL HALL
WHITE FLORALS
EVENING
TABLE DETAILTell us a little about your event and our events team will come back to you within one working day with availability and a written quote.