40k people attend 'spectacular' Glasgow Mela

Glasgow Mela, 2024 <i>(Image: Glasgow Life)</i>
Glasgow Mela, 2024 (Image: Glasgow Life)

Tens of thousands of people took to Glasgow's West End yesterday to celebrate the Glasgow Mela.

The spectacular event was held in Kelvingrove Park and included performances, talks, art, food, sports and more.

Mela means "gathering” in Sanskrit, and the festival is a South Asian celebration of Glasgow’s diverse communities. The event aims to promote local artists and their rich cultural heritage.

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(Image: Glasgow Life)

(Image: Glasgow Life)

(Image: Glasgow Life)

(Image: Glasgow Life)

Billy Garrett, director of tourism, culture and events at Glasgow Life, said: “The Glasgow Mela is a much-loved part of the city’s events and cultural calendar.

"The festival celebrates Glasgow’s diverse communities and the musical and artistic talent which contributes to Glasgow being a UNESCO City of Music.

"It is brilliant that thousands of people came together to enjoy high-quality performances, food, workshops, and activities in the beautiful setting of Kelvingrove Park.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish-Asian Creative Artists’ Network, which manages the Glasgow Mela programme, said: “The 2024 Glasgow Mela has featured exciting new collaborations as well as unique and memorable performances.

"It’s wonderful to see the festival continuing to grow our community of talented Scottish Asian artists. This year, we had an open call for on-stage performers and our partnership with Glasgow Life Museums created a space for a young artist to run a workshop.

"Another highlight was using the iconic Kelvingrove Bandstand for workshops and talks for the first time.”