London Mela Returns to Gunnersbury Park

---

Large crowds expected as this year no entrance fee is being charged

Europe’s largest outdoor South Asian Festival returns to Gunnersbury Park this weekend with a vast programme of live entertainment and traditional Asian culture. This year’s event takes place on Sunday 3 September, 1-9.30pm.

For the first time since 2003 there was no Mela in the park last year and unlike in 2015 there will be no charge for entry.

This year’s Zee main stage features performances from India’s Queen of Hip Hop, Hard Kaur. Bhangra pop maestros Desi Crew will make a special one-off appearance and will be joined on the line-up by Miss Pooja, the biggest selling female Bhangra artist in the world, and funky eight-piece band, the Ska Vengers.

Other artists appearing include DJ Rekha and British Asian underground legends Asian Dub Foundation, who close the ZEE Main Stage. Mercury Music Prize winner Talvin Singh, OBE, has been also commissioned to curate the Anokha stage.

The Mela will close with a spectacular circus-style finale involving some high-flying clowns and much more.

The Taste of Asia will include the biggest South Asian food market this side of New Delhi, and there will be shopping opportunities galore at the Mela Bazaar, with international market stalls, and a gigantic fun fair and a firework finale all thrown in.

There’s even Mela Magic, an area with fun and creative activities for children, and the London premiere of Zamana, which creates the illusion of flying beneath a giant helium balloon.

Councillor Bassam Mahfouz, the council’s cabinet member for transport, environment and leisure, said: “It’s great to see this wonderful event back in the borough for its 15th year.

“The Mela is a great opportunity for residents and visitors to come together and celebrate the best of South Asian arts and culture. Hosted in historic Gunnersbury Park, the Mela combines English Heritage with the borough’s cultural bond with Asian communities across the world.”

To enable the delivery and removal of equipment and manage crowds safely, parking and access to the roads around Gunnersbury Park will be restricted on the day of the event.

Parking along some of the roads surrounding the park will be restricted to residents only, while some will be closed to both residents and non-residents.

August 30, 2017