Asian colour and culture brought to life (From This Is Wiltshire)

Asian colour and culture brought to life

12:32pm Thursday 29th July 2010 in

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BRIGHT colours, tantalising aromas and toe-tapping beats will be filling Old Town Gardens this weekend.

On Saturday the Swindon Mela, which is now in its 8th year, takes over the venue from noon until 7pm.

The free one-day event is a celebration of South Asian arts and culture and guarantees to put a smile on the whole family’s face.

The organisers of the event believe that this year’s promises to be the best yet with a strong line up international stars, a wealth of local talent and much more.

The main stage (the Old Town Bowl) will see performances from Heera, Gubi Sandhu and Khiza among others.

Over on the showcase stage, which aims to show off local talent, there will be performances from Suha Mubarrat, Swindon Hindu Samaj Girls, Asian Melange, Tamil Association and many more.

While enjoying the entertainment, visitors will be able to visit food stalls which offer a variety of foods from across South Asia, inncluding Punjabi, Gujerati and Halal.

For those keen to try their hand at Indian cookery at home, there will be a number of cookery demonstrations throughout the afternoon.

There will also be dozens of other stalls around the gardens selling everything from jewellery to clothes and sequined shoes to musical instruments.

As well as raising money for the Mela itself, money is also collected and donated to local charities. Last year more than £3,000 went to the Prospect Hospice, Macmillan Nurses and Swindon Cares.

For more information about the event, log on to www.swindonmela.com