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Oxford Mela 2008 - 22 June

Released on 19 Jun 2008

Communities across Oxford will be coming together this weekend for the Oxford Mela 2008 - a free community cohesion event to celebrate diversity in the city.

The Mela will be taking place on Sunday 22 June at Cowley Marsh Park between 10am and 6pm.

The family friendly event will feature a mix of western and traditional eastern sports from around the world including football, kabbadi, volleyball, skater hockey and stone lifting.

The afternoon will feature a diverse programme of performances on the main stage including nationally acclaimed Metz 'n' Trix, Irish dancers, Afghani music, Bhangra performances and much more.

There will be various workshops for adults and children to try puppet making, African drumming, bhangra dancing, and dhol drumming.

There will be other activities like Henna hand painting, face painting and a bouncy castle for children.

Various statutory, voluntary and commercial organisations will also attend the event bringing a range of information, activity and market stalls. There will also be food stalls from around the world.

Antonia Bance, City Executive Board Member says, "This year the event promises to be a bigger success than last. I would encourage everyone to support the event by participating in the sporting and cultural activities on offer."

The event is being organised by Oxford City Council in partnership with Thames Valley Police and Oxford Brookes University. The local business community is also supporting the event by sponsoring various activities and sporting tournaments on the day.

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