SOUTHAMPTON’S biggest free family festival is back.

On Saturday, July 12, Hoglands Park will be full of music, dance and activities from around the world as the Southampton Mela Festival returns for its 12th year.

Southampton Mela Festival is a longstanding summer highlight in Southampton’s events calendar.

And this year sees the Mela in its full glory with many favourites like Bollywood, bhangra, flamenco and fusion. The Southampton Mela Festival is very popular with people from Southampton and Hampshire.

“We know what works but also try and introduce something new to discover.

“It is a friendly, fun day and we try and keep as much of the Mela free as possible, so as many people as possible can attend,” said Vinod Desai MBE, Southampton Mela programmer and Art Asia chief executive.

The Southampton Mela Festival attracts large audiences – up to 25,000 people enjoy the main stage and world stage artists, community acts and arts activities like mask design or giant rangoli (an artwork made from natural materials like pulses and bark).

“The Mela is predominately a celebration of various South Asian cultures but over the years has added acts from around the world, for example Spain, China and Africa.

“Recently the Mela was described in a BBC documentary as ‘proof of Britain’s genius’. I believe this is because the Mela simply brings people together,” Vinod added.

The Southampton Mela Festival runs from 12 noon until 9pm.

Visit southamptonmela.com for more information.