Southend seafront to celebrate its first ever Bangla Mela
The sounds, colours and tastes of Bangladeshi culture are coming to Adventure Island on Sunday 15 September 2013.
The first ever Southend-on-Sea Bangla Mela – which is being jointly organised by the UK’s Number 1 Free Admission Fun Park and the Essex Bangladeshi Welfare Association – is taking place between midday and 5.30pm.
It will include a fantastic line-up of artists, dancers and musicians appearing on a brand new stage area, specially constructed in time for this event on the site of the former Blackbeard’s Pirate Adventure.
Alongside the entertainment, a wide range of Southend’s South Indian Restaurants will be showcasing their wares across an array of food stalls – giving passing visitors a chance to sample their mouth watering curries and other delicacies. There will also be a wide range of traditional craft stalls.
Melas originated in the Indian sub continent. The word Mela comes from the Sanskrit “to meet” and is commonly used to describe a large gathering of people celebrating artistic, religious or political events – a fair or a festival with a feast of sights, smells, sounds and tastes. Mela’s are becoming increasingly popular worldwide, with South Asian communities seeing them as an opportunity to share their cultural heritage with the wider community.
Adventure Island Managing Director Marc Miller said “Southend’s first seafront free Bangla Mela is going to be a fantastic event for all the family and will really highlight the amazing multi cultural diversity we have here in our town – we are absolutely delighted to be hosting this real first for South Essex.”
Find out more about the Bangla Mela at HYPERLINK “http://www.adventureisland.co.uk”www.adventureisland.co.uk
