June 4, 2008
Success of Edinburgh Mela forces venue switch
The Edinburgh Mela is one of Edinburgh’s most vibrant and exciting community festivals. Recent years has seen rapid growth in its popularity along with the scale and scope of the programme. For the first time, Mela 08 will run for a full week and will see the temporary transformation of a large site next to Ocean Terminal in Leith Docks
Edinburgh Mela this year has built on its success with a move to a bigger venue – Ocean Terminal in Leith – and extended its programme to a week-long festival ( August 25-31) rather than the weekend event of previous years.
As a lively event for all the family, supported by the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Arts Council, the Mela Festival contributes an estimated £1 million annually to the local economy and has drawn in over 50,000 people each year. It is considered to be Scotland’s leading celebration of cultural diversity through the arts.
The Mela adds another dimension to Edinburgh’s festival season with its focus on multicultural talents within Scotland and beyond. It has grown far since it was founded in 1995 by members of Edinburgh’s Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi communities, and one of its key objectives from the outset was to reflect and celebrate Scotland’s cultural diversity, while retaining its roots in the South Asian communities.
The website will go live following the launch of the programme on July 1. www.edinburgh-mela.co.uk
A video clip of the launch event and interviews is available at www.theherald.co.uk/search/display.var.2214183.0.capital_gains.php