THOUSANDS TAKE PART IN SPECTACULAR MELA CARNIVAL TO OPEN THE 17TH BELFAST MELA FESTIVAL

This year’s Mela Festival is bigger and better than ever before taking place over nine days which started with an amazing FREE Mela Carnival yesterday (Saturday 19 August) through the streets of Belfast, followed by Mela+ events across the city this week including a new Mela Colours event on Saturday 26 August, leading up to the annual Mela Day extravaganza in Botanic Gardens on Sunday 27 August.

Northern Ireland’s largest cultural diversity festival, the 17^th Belfast Mela, sponsored by Sensata Technologies invites the world back into the heart of the city with an amazing line-up of global music, dance, art, theatre, wellbeing and food.

More than 1,000 participants representing more than 20 different cultural groups and from neighbourhoods across the city took part in Mela Carnival Parade through Belfast City Centre today, led by the Lord Mayor of Belfast Councillor Ryan Murphy and Belfast Mela Founder Nisha Tandon with pulsating world music and dance and amazing sculptures. There was also a Global Village at City Hall with live performances on stage hosted by U105’s Carolyn Stewart and UTV’s Paul Reilly along with food and arts workshops.

Dr. Nisha Tandon, OBE, Founder of Belfast Mela and Director of ArtsEkta said: “We are so proud to have been working with hundreds of artists and thousands of participants to produce this year’s nine-day Belfast Mela Festival. There really is something for everyone at this year’s festival including our wonderful new Colours event at Botanic Gardens next Saturday before our traditional Mela Day next Sunday.”

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