Watch Viva TV’s coverage of Preston Mela

Avenham Park was transformed on Sunday 14th 2009 into a vibrant cultural hotspot, with live music, traditional Indian food and stalls.

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The annual South Asian Mela has been running for 13 years and brings together Preston’s Asian community for a celebration.

The name Mela means ‘Fair’ and there was all the fun of it, with rides for children and plenty of action on the main stage.

The food was fantastic, a real taste of the East, with dosa (a spicy pancake with a masala filling) costing only £4 it was an excellent lunch. There was also a vegetarian thali, that included rice, curried chickpeas, chappattis and a sweet snack.

The music on the main stage was provided by a variety of groups, including a rather lame boy band by the name of 3 Mix. They were blown away when followed by Punjabi MC (yes, the real one that worked with Jay-Z) who had the whole of Avenham Park grooving to some proper punjabi beats.

Watch Punjabi MC perform at Preston Mela

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1104JZbJNU]

The Mela also featured a range of stands that allowed people to get health, housing and financial information – so alongside having fun there was also a serious side to the event.

It was also an excellent use of Avenham Park and let’s hope that Preston City Council can put on more events throughout the year to make use of the spaces that our city has.