Meet me at the Mela

If you’re looking for a world music vibe without the expense and bother of packing for a proper festival, then you and yours can do a lot worse than check out your local Mela.

We’re just back from the Eastleigh Mela, which was tagged onto the Eastleigh Music Festival, a more mainstream event, held in the centre of the Hampshire town. We had the pleasure of attending the first mela in Eastleigh a few years back, and we’re pleased to say it’s grown into a great afternoon of fun for all ages. Melas are a pretty safe environment as athey usually have a graet family atmosphere and although they usually have a bar, aren’t booze fests. There are also plenty of activities for children to get involved with, whether learning new dance steps or making flags – it’s easy to spend an afternoon at one without everyone getting bored and wanting to go home. And with so many now being held across the UK, there’s no need to travel far from home to enjoy a Mela experience.

It’s not just Asian music and culture on offer, although the origin of the word mela is Sanskrit, and in the Indian subcontinent a Mela is traditionally a gathering, festival or fair. As Asian cultures came to the UK, local Melas were started here to bring some of the tradition of the old country to the new one.

British Melas are real community events, often supported by the local council and unions, usually held in a central park that easy to get to, and almost always free. Entertainment is pretty diverse – at Eastleigh we enjoyed bhangra dancing, traditional and modern Asian music, Irish dance, steel bands, a disco and a circus workshop, with falconry, rock climbing demonstrations and craft classes going on in various corners of the site.

And the food… what can I say? Family Festivals prides ourselves on being Indian food connoisseurs, and most festivals can cater to even our high standards, but Melas are where our most adventurous tastebuds get a treat. At Eastleigh we enjoyed, variously: bhel puri, pistchio kulfi on a stick, a lassi, another bhel puri, a kachori in a bun burger-style with salad and hot sauce, and another kulfi to take the heat away. We didn’t need any dinner that night. If you don’t know what any of those things are, never mind, just get down to your local Mela and try whatever looks good – stallholders are more than happy to explain what everything is. You’re in for a taste treat!

This weekend sees more Melas taking place around the country in Southampton, Leicester and Tunbridge Wells, and many more over the next few weeks of summer. Here are a few of the upcoming dates for your diary:

July
17   Southampton
18   Leicester
18   Tunbridge Wells
24    Liverpool
31   Swindon
31/01 August Newcastle
August
1  Croydon
1  Leeds
1  Luton
6-8  Edinburgh
8   Cardiff
8  Hyndburn
8   London
28/29  Belfast
September
11/12   Maidstone