Forming an integral part of Edinburgh's Festivals and with its roots in Edinburgh’s South Asian community, the Edinburgh Mela has grown year on year and features acts from across the globe creating an impressive celebration of culture. Music, theatre, visual art, fashion and children’s activities all feature in the programme, with advance day passes for adults priced at £2 and entry free for under-12s.  

This year, the festival site will play host to a specially commissioned giant marquee or Pandal. Created by a team of Scottish and Bengali artists - lead by Nandita Palchoudhuri and Graeme Gilmour - the Pandal will be decorated with symbols of South Asian and Scottish Culture and will provide a unique centre piece to the festival celebrations.

“The Mela prides itself on being a platform for world class international artists and up-and-coming local performers and this year will be no different. This year’s programme has an ambitious mix of spectacular commissions, world premiere performances and diverse programming that I’m sure will excite and enthral in equal measure!” – Steve Stenning, Edinburgh Mela Director

Some of the programme highlights include: Gitanjali - a musical performance depicting the life of Asia’s first Nobel prize winner and renowned composer, Rabindranath Tagore; the Mela Fashion Show – devised this year by ex-supermodel Anna Freemantle; Edinburgh’s own Dance Ihayami present the world premier of their new Indian classical dance production; and the popular Kawa Circus from Jaipur, will be performing around the festival site throughout the weekend.

There will also be performances from award winning beat boxers Bigg Taj and Danny Ladwa as well as a large outdoor area showcasing Rotations – a unique fusion of BMX riding, break dancing and contemporary dance.

Tickets for the festival can be purchased in advance by calling 0131 473 2000 and can be collected in person from the Hub on Castlehill.

Founded in 1995 the Edinburgh Mela was born out of a desire to bring together and understand different cultures and one of its key objectives is to reflect and celebrate Scotland’s cultural diversity. Visit their website to view the full festival programme.

Edinburgh Mela receives investment from Creative Scotland as a Flexibly Funded Organisation. The festival Pandal has been commissioned with the help of support from the Scottish Expo Fund.

Share This Article