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There are difference of opinions among schools of fiqh regarding which is better place to perform Eid prayers

According to the Hanafi school of thought, it is Sunnah to go out to the open space (desert) for the Eid prayer, even if the central mosque can accommodate the people. Ibn Abidin mentioned in "Radd al-Muhtar" (2/169) from "Al-Khaniyah" and "Al-Khulasa": "It is Sunnah for the Imam to go out to the open space and appoint someone else to lead the prayer in the city for the weak people; based on the fact that it is permissible to hold the Eid prayer in two places by consensus. If the Imam does not appoint someone else, it is still permissible."

As for the Maliki school, they recommend performing it in the open space, and it is disliked to perform it in the mosque without an excuse, except in Mecca, where it is better to perform it in the Masjid al-Haram due to the sanctity of the place and the sight of the Kaaba.

The Hanbali school says: It is Sunnah to perform the Eid prayer in the open space, provided it is close to the buildings. If it is far from the buildings, the Eid prayer is not valid there. It is disliked to perform it in the mosque without an excuse, except for those in Mecca; they perform it in the Masjid al-Haram.

The Shafi'i school holds that performing the Eid prayer in the mosque is better due to its sanctity, except in the case of an excuse such as the mosque being too crowded, in which case it is disliked due to overcrowding, and it is then Sunnah to go out to the open space.

From this, it is understood that the answer to the question is that performing the Eid prayer in the mosque is better according to the Shafi'i school, while performing it in the open space is better according to the other three schools with the mentioned details.

And Allah, the Almighty, knows best.

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