The sights, smells and colours of Indian will be arriving in Ipswich this July.
The 15th annual Ipswich Indian Summer Mela will be taking place next month.
The open air festival hosted by the Ipswich & Suffolk Indian Association (ISIA), will be taking place in Christchurch Park on July 8.
The Mela will celebrate a range of Asian culture through arts, crafts, Indian cuisine and music.
Last year over 10,000 people from across Suffolk and East Anglia came to Ipswich to enjoy the family -friendly festival.
A spokesperson from the ISIA said: “ISIA is keen to involve and invite local people and the business community to participate in the Mela, with the view to promote their talents, arts, vocation, trade, educational & informative products and services for the general benefit of the Mela Festivities attendees and the wide community as a whole.
“The Association along with its partners Ipswich Borough Council work hard to make this diverse event a successful one that is accessible to all sections of the community.”
A number of dance groups will be performing on the main stage at the Mela including bollywood dancers, belly dancers and bhangra performers.
Many of these will also be hosting workshops for attendees to get involved and try for themselves.
Sari and Turban demonstrations will also be held on the main stage during the day.
A number of Indian cooking demonstrations will give visitors an insight into how to cook a number of specialist dishes.
For those wishing to sample the cuisine rather than cook it an Indian food village will be in place alongside a vibrant market.
One of the most anticipated parts of the day is the Mela’s Got Talent competition. Organisers are encouraging those who believe they have a particular talent to get in touch.
Organisers said: “This year again we invite people to come and show case their talents in “Mela’s Got Talent” slot in the programme – please register your interest via email at sec.isia@googlemail.com.
“Please note slots are limited and will be allocated on first come first basis.”
The Indian Summer Mela will be taking place on Sunday July 8 from 12pm until 6pm and will be free to enter.
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