Birmingham Mela

Birmingham Mela (also known as Sandwell & Birmingham Mela) is an annual South Asian themed cultural and music festival (Mela) held in Sandwell, bordering Birmingham, England. It was first held in 2011; in 2015, more than 120,000 people attended the festival.[1]

History

The first festival took place in July 2011 in Victoria Park, Smethwick, and had about 45,000 visitors.[1] Tickets were free.

In 2011 and 2012, the event was sponsored by the South Asian broadcaster Star TV Network.[2] Subsequent sponsors have included Zee Entertainment Enterprises and Ola Cabs.[3]

In 2020 and 2021, The Birmingham Mela was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.[4][5] It has been scheduled to take place again in August 2022.[6]

Performers

Performers have included Mika Singh,[7] Gippy Grewal, Ali Zafar,[8] and Tiger Shroff.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b "Mela attracts more than 120,000". BBC News. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  2. ^ Baddhan, Raj (13 July 2016). "Star Plus partners up for Birmingham Mela". BizAsia. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Ola replaces headline TV sponsors at Sandwell & Birmingham Mela 2019". BizAsia | Media, Entertainment, Showbiz, Brit, Events and Music. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  4. ^ Regen, Charlotte (12 April 2020). "Sandwell and Birmingham Mela cancelled over coronavirus". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  5. ^ Brassington, Jamie (19 August 2021). "Sandwell and Birmingham Mela cancelled again due to Covid". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Sandwell & Birmingham Mela 2022". Visit Birmingham. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  7. ^ Cannon, Matt (26 April 2016). "'King of Bollywood' pop singer announced to headline to Asian festival". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  8. ^ "Ali Zafar, wows UK fans". Asian World News. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  9. ^ Baddhan, Raj (15 June 2017). "Tiger Shroff to attend Birmingham Mela 2017". BizAsia | Media, Entertainment, Showbiz, Brit, Events and Music. Retrieved 1 November 2021.