24 joyous photos as thousands turn out for 'fantastic' Mela event
Thousands of people turned up for the UK's biggest celebration of South Asian music over the weekend.
![](https://www.expressandstar.com/resizer/v2/FVCR6QRC4VCSZLHM3HUGYZCM3Y.jpg?auth=9f11e8c7878237f62653be8e678ebdb8464a1bff8ab28e414fb98cd7457a7475&width=300&height=224)
The Sandwell and Birmingham Mela saw thousands of people return to Smethwick's Victoria Park to take part in the biggest South Asian music festival in Europe.
The two-day event was first launched in 2011 and saw dozens of acts take to stages spread across the park.
Thousands of people turned out for the event, taking part in dancing, eating, arts and crafts and no end of festivities.
Gurdip Singh, 41, of Wolverhampton, visited the event with his wife and two children, he said: "It was a great event. There were a lot of people around enjoying the day, it was really brilliant.
![](https://www.expressandstar.com/resizer/v2/25T5625B3RHVDG2SM72WXVYOBQ.jpg?auth=eebae841d4c1cfdc858f2eeff513099a1aff16a292aa7b90666e1d49a0875cc1&width=300&height=253)
![](https://www.expressandstar.com/resizer/v2/4KQZY7IUFFAJLNKGW2B3XD7IEM.jpg?auth=452f35226312d87e57f26743da0efeba4ff804f9a66fea622bb506d0950e8b79&width=300&height=203)
"The food and music was amazing. The kids really enjoyed it. It's great to see people enjoying the cultural heritage."
Dozens of the biggest names in the South Asian arts took to the stage, including singers Sunanda Sharma and Harshdeep Kaur, Yasir Hussain and singer-songwriter Guru Randhawa.
![](https://www.expressandstar.com/resizer/v2/KJPJR374ZZANDPWYEUJOVKIVOA.jpg?auth=0a8e9917c8478bffb9cc31d4dd4074c51965eb4d463aa5b148499da47f149ac0&width=300&height=197)
![](https://www.expressandstar.com/resizer/v2/4WYLZRGSPFCJ5CAR72KLQP5Z64.jpg?auth=c24bddb4caac75d2cb7dee97c2fddb18f43cb751750f0f7fa4c144ee3d477694&width=300&height=215)