The Edinburgh Mela is an annual multi-cultural festival held in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

, Scotland, and is one of the 12 festivals that make up the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fe ...

. The first '' mela'', a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

word meaning "gathering" or "to meet", was held in 1995 at

Meadowbank Stadium Meadowbank Stadium (officially the Meadowbank Sports Centre) is a multi-purpose sports facility located in the Meadowbank area of Edinburgh, Scotland. Built on the site of the earlier New Meadowbank and Old Meadowbank sports venues, it was or ...

, and was organised by members of the city's minority ethnic communities. The festival moved to Pilrig Park in 2000, and to

Leith Links Leith Links ( gd, Fìghdean Lìte) is the principal open space within Leith, the docks district of Edinburgh, Scotland. This public park is divided by a road into two main areas, a western section and an eastern section, both being largely flat ...

in 2010. Running over three days in September, the event attracts around 20 to 25,000 people each year. Cargo

History

Origins of the Mela

Melas are south

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

n events which have spread around the world from the south Asian subcontinent. Mela means 'gathering' and can describe festival, market, trade event, religious gathering and more. Melas are celebrated with

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

, dance,

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion i ...

, food and stalls. Melas are distinguished by their bringing together of south Asian cultures and those of other countries when promoted by south Asian Diasporas abroad. Melas first came to Britain in the late eighties.

Mela in Edinburgh

In 1995 people from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and other traditions of the sub-continent established a mela in Edinburgh. Chinese, African, and other groups were also involved. The first festival was held in

, London Road, Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Mela Company formed in 1996.

The Board of Directors

* Sir Geoff Palmer (Chair) * Foysol Choudhury MBE *Shami Khan *Rajnish Singh *Graham Clark *Azra Sharif-Qayyum *Saad Nazir *Jessica Yang *Vimal DSouza *Shahid Riaz *Sonia Aksi

Artistic Directors

*Chris Purnell 2011–present * Stephen Stenning 2010 - 2011 *Liam Sinclair 2007 - 2010 *Jazz Singh 2005 - 2006

Locations

2010 – present *

Pilrig Pilrig is an area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. The name probably derives from the long field (rig) on which a peel tower (pil/peel) stood. There is evidence of a peel tower situated on an area of higher ground above the Water of ...

Park 2000-2007 & 2009 * Ocean Terminal 2008 *

1995-1999

Music Stages

One of the main attractions of this festival is its concerts and shows. There are 3 main stages: 2 are outdoors, offering headline shows like music and dance performances.

Food

Bars

Most of the food tents offers drinks too, but there are also dedicated bars serving beers, spirits, and soft drinks throughout the day.

Shopping

A selection of stalls selling the traditional dress, jewelry, and hand-made products from different countries around the world.

Kidzone

The kids’ area is divided in two. On one side attractions often include trampolines and bouncy castles. On the other, free activities for children.

References

{{reflist Mela 1995 establishments in Scotland Recurring events established in 1995 Festivals of multiculturalism Cultural festivals in Scotland Arts festivals in Scotland Festivals in Edinburgh Theatre in Scotland