diff --git a/docs/source/_toctree.yml b/docs/source/_toctree.yml
index cc6b7195fe2..58189f1fd29 100644
--- a/docs/source/_toctree.yml
+++ b/docs/source/_toctree.yml
@@ -90,6 +90,8 @@
       title: Create a document dataset
     - local: nifti_dataset
       title: Create a medical imaging dataset
+    - local: bids_dataset
+      title: Load a BIDS dataset
     title: "Vision"
   - sections:
     - local: nlp_load
diff --git a/docs/source/bids_dataset.mdx b/docs/source/bids_dataset.mdx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..89ca31e566e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/source/bids_dataset.mdx
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+# BIDS Dataset
+
+[BIDS (Brain Imaging Data Structure)](https://bids.neuroimaging.io/) is a standard for organizing and describing neuroimaging and behavioral data. The `datasets` library supports loading BIDS datasets directly, leveraging `pybids` for parsing and `nibabel` for handling NIfTI files.
+
+<Tip>
+
+To use the BIDS loader, you need to install the `bids` extra (which installs `pybids` and `nibabel`):
+
+```bash
+pip install datasets[bids]
+```
+
+</Tip>
+
+## Loading a BIDS Dataset
+
+You can load a BIDS dataset by pointing to its root directory (containing `dataset_description.json`):
+
+```python
+from datasets import load_dataset
+
+# Load a local BIDS dataset
+ds = load_dataset("bids", data_dir="/path/to/bids/dataset")
+
+# Access the first example
+print(ds["train"][0])
+# {
+#     'subject': '01',
+#     'session': 'baseline',
+#     'datatype': 'anat',
+#     'suffix': 'T1w',
+#     'nifti': <nibabel.nifti1.Nifti1Image>,
+#     ...
+# }
+```
+
+The `nifti` column contains `nibabel` image objects, which can be visualized interactively in Jupyter notebooks.
+
+## Filtering
+
+You can filter the dataset by BIDS entities like `subject`, `session`, and `datatype` when loading:
+
+```python
+# Load only specific subjects and datatypes
+ds = load_dataset(
+    "bids",
+    data_dir="/path/to/bids/dataset",
+    subjects=["01", "05", "10"],
+    sessions=["pre", "post"],
+    datatypes=["func"],
+)
+```
+
+## Metadata
+
+BIDS datasets often include JSON sidecar files with metadata (e.g., scanner parameters). This metadata is loaded into the `metadata` column as a JSON string.
+
+```python
+import json
+
+metadata = json.loads(ds["train"][0]["metadata"])
+print(metadata["RepetitionTime"])
+```
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 30d66fc54db..42dd5c101b8 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -210,6 +210,8 @@
 
 NIBABEL_REQUIRE = ["nibabel>=5.3.2", "ipyniivue==2.4.2"]
 
+PYBIDS_REQUIRE = ["pybids>=0.21.0"] + NIBABEL_REQUIRE
+
 EXTRAS_REQUIRE = {
     "audio": AUDIO_REQUIRE,
     "vision": VISION_REQUIRE,
@@ -228,6 +230,7 @@
     "docs": DOCS_REQUIRE,
     "pdfs": PDFS_REQUIRE,
     "nibabel": NIBABEL_REQUIRE,
+    "bids": PYBIDS_REQUIRE,
 }
 
 setup(
diff --git a/src/datasets/config.py b/src/datasets/config.py
index b6412682727..2df571e4b8f 100644
--- a/src/datasets/config.py
+++ b/src/datasets/config.py
@@ -140,6 +140,7 @@
 TORCHVISION_AVAILABLE = importlib.util.find_spec("torchvision") is not None
 PDFPLUMBER_AVAILABLE = importlib.util.find_spec("pdfplumber") is not None
 NIBABEL_AVAILABLE = importlib.util.find_spec("nibabel") is not None
+PYBIDS_AVAILABLE = importlib.util.find_spec("bids") is not None
 
 # Optional compression tools
 RARFILE_AVAILABLE = importlib.util.find_spec("rarfile") is not None
diff --git a/src/datasets/packaged_modules/__init__.py b/src/datasets/packaged_modules/__init__.py
index c9a32ff71f0..9655dffdc10 100644
--- a/src/datasets/packaged_modules/__init__.py
+++ b/src/datasets/packaged_modules/__init__.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 
 from .arrow import arrow
 from .audiofolder import audiofolder
+from .bids import bids
 from .cache import cache
 from .csv import csv
 from .eval import eval
@@ -49,6 +50,7 @@ def _hash_python_lines(lines: list[str]) -> str:
     "videofolder": (videofolder.__name__, _hash_python_lines(inspect.getsource(videofolder).splitlines())),
     "pdffolder": (pdffolder.__name__, _hash_python_lines(inspect.getsource(pdffolder).splitlines())),
     "niftifolder": (niftifolder.__name__, _hash_python_lines(inspect.getsource(niftifolder).splitlines())),
+    "bids": (bids.__name__, _hash_python_lines(inspect.getsource(bids).splitlines())),
     "webdataset": (webdataset.__name__, _hash_python_lines(inspect.getsource(webdataset).splitlines())),
     "xml": (xml.__name__, _hash_python_lines(inspect.getsource(xml).splitlines())),
     "hdf5": (hdf5.__name__, _hash_python_lines(inspect.getsource(hdf5).splitlines())),
diff --git a/src/datasets/packaged_modules/bids/__init__.py b/src/datasets/packaged_modules/bids/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1d167b51030
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/datasets/packaged_modules/bids/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+from .bids import Bids, BidsConfig
diff --git a/src/datasets/packaged_modules/bids/bids.py b/src/datasets/packaged_modules/bids/bids.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d165218de4d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/datasets/packaged_modules/bids/bids.py
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+import json
+import os
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+from typing import Optional
+
+import datasets
+from datasets import config
+
+
+logger = datasets.utils.logging.get_logger(__name__)
+
+
+@dataclass
+class BidsConfig(datasets.BuilderConfig):
+    """BuilderConfig for BIDS datasets."""
+
+    data_dir: Optional[str] = None
+    database_path: Optional[str] = None  # For pybids caching
+    subjects: Optional[list[str]] = None  # Filter by subject
+    sessions: Optional[list[str]] = None  # Filter by session
+    datatypes: Optional[list[str]] = None  # Filter by datatype
+
+
+class Bids(datasets.GeneratorBasedBuilder):
+    """BIDS dataset loader using pybids."""
+
+    BUILDER_CONFIG_CLASS = BidsConfig
+
+    def _info(self):
+        if not config.PYBIDS_AVAILABLE:
+            raise ImportError("To load BIDS datasets, please install pybids: pip install pybids")
+        if not config.NIBABEL_AVAILABLE:
+            raise ImportError("To load BIDS datasets, please install nibabel: pip install nibabel")
+
+        return datasets.DatasetInfo(
+            features=datasets.Features(
+                {
+                    "subject": datasets.Value("string"),
+                    "session": datasets.Value("string"),
+                    "datatype": datasets.Value("string"),
+                    "suffix": datasets.Value("string"),
+                    "task": datasets.Value("string"),
+                    "run": datasets.Value("string"),
+                    "path": datasets.Value("string"),
+                    "nifti": datasets.Nifti(),
+                    "metadata": datasets.Value("string"),
+                }
+            )
+        )
+
+    def _split_generators(self, dl_manager):
+        from bids import BIDSLayout
+
+        if not self.config.data_dir:
+            raise ValueError("data_dir is required for BIDS datasets")
+
+        if not os.path.isdir(self.config.data_dir):
+            raise ValueError(f"data_dir does not exist: {self.config.data_dir}")
+
+        desc_file = os.path.join(self.config.data_dir, "dataset_description.json")
+        if not os.path.exists(desc_file):
+            raise ValueError(f"Not a valid BIDS dataset: missing dataset_description.json in {self.config.data_dir}")
+
+        layout = BIDSLayout(
+            self.config.data_dir,
+            database_path=self.config.database_path,
+            validate=False,  # Don't fail on minor validation issues
+        )
+
+        # Build query kwargs
+        query = {"extension": [".nii", ".nii.gz"]}
+        if self.config.subjects:
+            query["subject"] = self.config.subjects
+        if self.config.sessions:
+            query["session"] = self.config.sessions
+        if self.config.datatypes:
+            query["datatype"] = self.config.datatypes
+
+        # Get all NIfTI files
+        nifti_files = layout.get(**query)
+
+        if not nifti_files:
+            logger.warning(
+                f"No NIfTI files found in {self.config.data_dir} with filters: {query}. "
+                "Check that the dataset is valid BIDS and filters match existing data."
+            )
+
+        return [
+            datasets.SplitGenerator(
+                name=datasets.Split.TRAIN,
+                gen_kwargs={"layout": layout, "files": nifti_files},
+            )
+        ]
+
+    def _generate_examples(self, layout, files):
+        for idx, bids_file in enumerate(files):
+            entities = bids_file.get_entities()
+
+            # Get JSON sidecar metadata
+            metadata = layout.get_metadata(bids_file.path)
+            metadata_str = json.dumps(metadata) if metadata else "{}"
+
+            yield (
+                idx,
+                {
+                    "subject": entities.get("subject"),
+                    "session": entities.get("session"),
+                    "datatype": entities.get("datatype"),
+                    "suffix": entities.get("suffix"),
+                    "task": entities.get("task"),
+                    "run": str(entities.get("run")) if entities.get("run") else None,
+                    "path": bids_file.path,
+                    "nifti": bids_file.path,
+                    "metadata": metadata_str,
+                },
+            )
diff --git a/tests/packaged_modules/test_bids.py b/tests/packaged_modules/test_bids.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8ce2be9b72b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/packaged_modules/test_bids.py
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+import json
+
+import numpy as np
+import pytest
+
+import datasets.config
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def minimal_bids_dataset(tmp_path):
+    """Minimal valid BIDS dataset with one subject, one T1w scan."""
+    # dataset_description.json (required)
+    (tmp_path / "dataset_description.json").write_text(
+        json.dumps({"Name": "Test BIDS Dataset", "BIDSVersion": "1.10.1"})
+    )
+
+    # Create subject/anat folder
+    anat_dir = tmp_path / "sub-01" / "anat"
+    anat_dir.mkdir(parents=True)
+
+    # Create dummy NIfTI
+    if datasets.config.NIBABEL_AVAILABLE:
+        import nibabel as nib
+
+        data = np.zeros((4, 4, 4), dtype=np.float32)
+        img = nib.Nifti1Image(data, np.eye(4))
+        nib.save(img, str(anat_dir / "sub-01_T1w.nii.gz"))
+    else:
+        # Fallback if nibabel not available (shouldn't happen in test env ideally)
+        (anat_dir / "sub-01_T1w.nii.gz").write_bytes(b"DUMMY NIFTI CONTENT")
+
+    # JSON sidecar
+    (anat_dir / "sub-01_T1w.json").write_text(json.dumps({"RepetitionTime": 2.0}))
+
+    return str(tmp_path)
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def multi_subject_bids(tmp_path):
+    """BIDS dataset with multiple subjects and sessions."""
+    (tmp_path / "dataset_description.json").write_text(
+        json.dumps({"Name": "Multi-Subject Test", "BIDSVersion": "1.10.1"})
+    )
+
+    data = np.zeros((4, 4, 4), dtype=np.float32)
+
+    if datasets.config.NIBABEL_AVAILABLE:
+        import nibabel as nib
+    else:
+        nib = None
+
+    for sub in ["01", "02"]:
+        for ses in ["baseline", "followup"]:
+            anat_dir = tmp_path / f"sub-{sub}" / f"ses-{ses}" / "anat"
+            anat_dir.mkdir(parents=True)
+
+            file_path = anat_dir / f"sub-{sub}_ses-{ses}_T1w.nii.gz"
+            if nib:
+                img = nib.Nifti1Image(data, np.eye(4))
+                nib.save(img, str(file_path))
+            else:
+                file_path.write_bytes(b"DUMMY NIFTI CONTENT")
+
+            (anat_dir / f"sub-{sub}_ses-{ses}_T1w.json").write_text(json.dumps({"RepetitionTime": 2.0}))
+
+    return str(tmp_path)
+
+
+def test_bids_module_imports():
+    from datasets.packaged_modules.bids import Bids, BidsConfig
+
+    assert Bids is not None
+    assert BidsConfig is not None
+
+
+def test_bids_requires_pybids(monkeypatch):
+    """Test helpful error when pybids not installed."""
+    from datasets.packaged_modules.bids.bids import Bids
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(datasets.config, "PYBIDS_AVAILABLE", False)
+
+    with pytest.raises(ImportError, match="pybids"):
+        Bids()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.skipif(
+    not datasets.config.PYBIDS_AVAILABLE or not datasets.config.NIBABEL_AVAILABLE,
+    reason="pybids or nibabel not installed",
+)
+def test_bids_loads_single_subject(minimal_bids_dataset):
+    from datasets import load_dataset
+
+    ds = load_dataset("bids", data_dir=minimal_bids_dataset)
+
+    assert "train" in ds
+    assert len(ds["train"]) == 1
+
+    sample = ds["train"][0]
+    assert sample["subject"] == "01"
+    assert sample["suffix"] == "T1w"
+    assert sample["datatype"] == "anat"
+    assert sample["session"] is None
+
+
+@pytest.mark.skipif(
+    not datasets.config.PYBIDS_AVAILABLE or not datasets.config.NIBABEL_AVAILABLE,
+    reason="pybids or nibabel not installed",
+)
+def test_bids_multi_subject(multi_subject_bids):
+    from datasets import load_dataset
+
+    ds = load_dataset("bids", data_dir=multi_subject_bids)
+
+    assert len(ds["train"]) == 4  # 2 subjects × 2 sessions
+
+    subjects = {sample["subject"] for sample in ds["train"]}
+    assert subjects == {"01", "02"}
+
+    sessions = {sample["session"] for sample in ds["train"]}
+    assert sessions == {"baseline", "followup"}