Newcastle’s much loved cultural festival, Newcastle Mela, is returning to Exhibition Park this bank holiday. This year’s event is jam packed, with music, food, stalls and a fun fair.
00:01A celebration of South Asian heritage and diversity here at Newcastle's iconic Exhibition Park will soon take place.
00:09The Mila is one of the North East's most loved cultural festivals,
00:13drawing crowds from across the region to experience the sights, sounds and flavours of Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and beyond.
00:21It started 31 years ago as a way for South Asian communities to share their cultures with the wider city.
00:28Back then, there weren't many opportunities like this, so it was about visibility, pride and connection.
00:36Taj Mohamed has been involved with the event from the start, where 31 years ago he was helping to police the event.
00:43Now he is the event's director.
00:46I've been involved 31 years and it's been fantastic all these years and it still seems like yesterday
00:55because it's hard work, there's a whole team of us doing it, but when you see on those 2-3 days people being happy,
01:08there's some senior citizens who probably don't even get out throughout the year and they're looking forward to the Mila
01:16so they can come here for the whole day and enjoy themselves, and their children, so it's for the whole family basically.
01:24The events we've got artists from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, so it's for this whole community.
01:34And music's not all, but then you've got the food stalls, most important, the food side of it, and we have quite a few stalls and there's beautiful, you know, the food itself.
01:49And then you've got the ladies, you know, like jewellery, and we have that, and then if you want to buy some, especially the Asian ladies, buy the clothing as well, here.
02:04So, you know, it's a whole different, really good, then we have fun fair as well, because of Newcastle, you know, being brought up in Newcastle,
02:13Newcastle, and Newcastle, it seems like a family affair, really, and, you know, everybody, the Newcastle City Council, and again, from the Freemans of, you know, the Moor,
02:29and then we've got the founders, you know, like Arts Council, and they all try to contribute towards it, and so that we can have a really good Mila,
02:43and you've got people coming from London, and you've got people from Birmingham, even far as Holland, and it's good for the economy as well,
02:53because they are all coming over, booking the hotels and restaurants and stuff like that.
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