Northampton's Mela festival returns to Becket's Park

Russian folk dancers, an African fashion show and the Northampton General Hospital choir were all part of the line-up at Sunday's Mela festival.
Pictures by Kirsty Edmonds.Pictures by Kirsty Edmonds.
Pictures by Kirsty Edmonds.

The free community event was held on Beckets Park and is the third event of its kind for the town after Northampton park group Buddies of Beckets launched the event in 2017.

Mela is a Sanskrit work meaning a gathering, meeting or fair. They are held by Asian communities during the summer throughout the world.

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This year's attractions included the opportunity to try out a climbing wall, see the police firearms team, take a look inside a fire engine and meet the armed forces.

Pictures by Kirsty Edmonds.Pictures by Kirsty Edmonds.
Pictures by Kirsty Edmonds.

Pupils from Kristina Rihanoff’s School of Drama and Dance were joined on the bill by BhangraBlaze, the Shireen Bellydance Troupe, Irish and Russian dancers, African and Sikh drummers plus a host of singers and musical acts from Northampton's diverse communities.

DJ Amrit performed and was joined on stage by the day's three hosts - Mark Dean from the BBC, assistant coroner and activist Hassan Shah and Nisha Mejer.

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