The Ratha Yatra chariot leaves Valentines Park at noon on Sunday 4 October for Redbridge Town Hall. Free festival to 5pm; rolling closures on Cranbrook Road.

A decorated chariot will be pulled through the middle of Ilford on Sunday 4 October for the Ratha Yatra, the Hindu Festival of Chariots. It sets off from Valentines Park at 12pm and heads for Redbridge Town Hall, where a free festival runs until 5pm.

The event is organised by the East London and Essex branch of ISKCON London. Its festival page gives the timings:

  • 12pm to 1pm: the procession, from Valentines Park to Redbridge Town Hall
  • 1pm to 5pm: the festival at Redbridge Town Hall

The organisers describe the Ilford procession as an annual event that “thousands join”. They say the festival has tents for food, children, meditation and culture, and that over 2,500 people are served prasadam, a free vegetarian meal. Anyone can come, and they invite people to help pull the chariot’s ropes.

Which roads close, and when

Redbridge Council lists the procession on its roadworks and closures page as a rolling road closure. That means each road shuts as the chariot reaches it and reopens once it has passed, rather than the whole route closing at once.

The council gives the procession’s window as 12pm to 2pm, an hour longer than the organisers’ own timetable. Allow for the longer one if you are driving.

The council lists these points as affected:

  • Cranbrook Road outside Valentines Park
  • The Drive, Northbrook Road, Park Avenue, Beal Road, Wellesley Road, York Road and Station Road, each at its junction with Cranbrook Road
  • Havelock Street at its junction with Hainault Street
  • Hainault Street at its junction with the High Road
  • High Road at its junction with Clements Road
  • Ilford High Road outside the Town Hall
Timeline for the Ilford Ratha Yatra on Sunday 4 October 2026: the chariot leaves Valentines Park at 12pm, the festival opens at Redbridge Town Hall at 1pm, the council's rolling closure window ends at 2pm and the festival closes at 5pm. Roads affected include Cranbrook Road, Hainault Street and the High Road.
Sunday's timings, from the organisers and Redbridge Council. Graphic by Ilford Today
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The council has not said whether any bus routes will be diverted, so check TfL’s status updates on the day before you travel.

What the festival is

The organisers explain that the festival has been celebrated for thousands of years in Jagannatha Puri, in India. Lord Jagannatha, another name for Krishna, rides a chariot through the streets with his brother Baladeva and sister Subhadra. Pulling the chariot’s ropes is held to be an act of devotion.

ISKCON’s founder, Srila Prabhupada, wanted the festival celebrated around the world, and the organisation took it to cities on several continents. Ilford’s is the East London and Essex community’s own procession.

What it means for you

  • To watch or join in, be at Valentines Park on Cranbrook Road for 12pm, or at Redbridge Town Hall on the High Road from 1pm. Entry and the meal are free.
  • If you are driving, avoid Cranbrook Road and the High Road around the Town Hall between 12pm and 2pm. Side roads off Cranbrook Road will be held at the junction while the chariot passes.
  • If you are getting the bus, expect short delays and possible diversions on routes through the town centre.
  • If you are getting the train, Ilford station is not affected, but Station Road meets Cranbrook Road on the route, so allow extra time walking through the crowds.

Other roadworks this week, including the Winchester Road closure, are on our Ilford roadworks page. For more to do this month, see October half term in Ilford, and for driving into the centre, parking in Ilford.