‘Great vibe’ at Sandwell Mela - with pictures
Noise, colour and tens of thousands of excited visitors – it could only be the return of the UK’s biggest Asian music festival.
The Mela returned to the Black Country with a bang as Bollywood stars and more than 30 performers brought Smethwick’s Victoria Park to life.
As well as the music, there was plenty of food with fine Asian cuisine keeping the families well fed.
There was also a fun fair on an action-packed weekend.
Not even the odd rain shower could dampen spirits as tens of thousands of people passed through the park gates on Saturday and Sunday for one of the biggest days on the calendar for the Asian community.
Organisers have made a conscious effort to try and attract non-Asian people to Mela to reflect the diverse community in the area.
Chairman of the organising committee Danny Singh said: “It has been really good despite the odd shower. People still came out in their thousands to enjoy all the food and the music.
“There has been a great vibe. It is really important for us to focus on diversifying the audience.
“We have seen a rise in non-Asians attending, we are breaking that barrier.
“It’s really important to have events for the benefit of the whole community.”
