Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Aberdeen Mela: All you need to know about return of ‘bigger and better’ festival

The vibrant multicultural festival will be held at Queens Links on Sunday, August 27.

Dancer Shahwati Vinod perfroming outside Marischal College in front of a Mela banner
Dancer Shahwati Vinod performing at the Aberdeen Mela launch outside Marischal College in June. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson.

Thousands of people are expected to turnout for a celebration of the vibrant cultural diversity in Aberdeen this weekend.

The Aberdeen Mela festival aims to promote greater understanding and awareness of the different cultures in the city.

It will return at its new location at Queens Links on Sunday between 12noon and 7pm.

Entry to the event is free of charge for all ages.

Those in attendance can expect an array of stalls selling street food from around the world, traditional music and dance performances and interactive activities and workshops.

Who will be performing at Aberdeen Mela?

The Group Raag from London on stage at Aberdeen Mela 2022
The Group Raag from London on stage at Aberdeen Mela 2022 in Westburn Park. Image: Paul Glendell/DC Thomson.

A number of music and dance performers from across the world are lined up to take to the stage at Mela on Sunday.

The main headline acts this year will be Guru Sound and Sona Walia.

Other performers include:

  • Guarana Street Drummers
  • Dazzling Dancers
  • Aberdeen Lezim Group
  • Colombian Dancers
  • Citymoves Dance Agency
  • Baila Venezuela
  • Pipe Band
  • AberGaitas Band
  • Desi Bravehearts
  • Ukrainian band
  • Arna Sharma and the Energetic Kids
  • Shashwati Vinod & Tejaswini Vinod
  • Movement of Mind
  • Raag Kaul
  • Melting Pot Collective

What else will be on offer?

FHA Kitchen had a stall at Aberdeen Mela 2023. Image: Paul Glendell/DC Thomson.

One of the highlights of the 2023 Aberdeen Mela will be a colourful fashion show featuring designs inspired by South Asian culture.

There will also be a range of interactive workshops so visitors can try their hand at traditional art, dance and music.

These will be available alongside fun-filled activities for children and family-friendly entertainment.

Stall traders will be selling an array of traditional food and drink to showcase the best of Asian culture, alongside some European, African and Latino dishes.

Official launch of 2023 Mela

Dancers from Citymoves performing outside Marischal Square wearing tartan skirts
Dancers from the Pulse Youth Performance Group of the Citymoves Dance Agency performed at the launch event. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson.

The 2023 event was officially launched outside Marischal College on June 6 giving spectators a taste of what to expect at upcoming event.

Lord Provost of Aberdeen David Cameron encouraged residents to put the “vibrant and colourful” Aberdeen Mela in their diaries.

Describing the event as “wonderful day”, he said everyone who can should go along to soak up the atmosphere.

Two performers who will take to the stage on Sunday also shared a preview of their dance acts at the launch event.

While the Pulse youth performance group from Citymoves Dance Agency showcased elements of Scottish country dance, Shahwati Vinod shared a classical Indian dance solo.

‘Bigger and better for 2023’

Aberdeen Mela organiser Ahaham Habib at the event launch on Tuesday.
Event Organiser Ahaham Habib at the event launch on Tuesday. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Organiser Ahashan Habib, manager of the Aberdeen Multicultural Centre, said: “Last year’s Mela was a great success with around 14,000 people turning out. Westburn Park was fully packed so we’ve had to find a bigger venue.

“We’re hoping Mela will be bigger and better this year. We want to represent all the cultures from around the world that stay in Aberdeen, and we’re inviting all of the city to join and make this event special.”

Mela Aberdeen first launched as One World Day at Union Terrace Gardens in 2014, before moving to Westburn Park in 2017.

Last August, more than 14,000 people attended the event in its first year back after the pandemic.

At the time, organisers said the event had been “put back on the map” and they hoped it would continue to grow in years to come.

Conversation