A cultural festival which brings together diverse communities in Aberdeen and the North East is amongst 14 events across the country benefitting from a share of £145,500 in the latest awards round of EventScotland’s National Funding Programme.
Aberdeen Mela – One World Day 2017, will be a celebration of music, dance, theatre, song and stories and many international visitors from the Aberdeen International Youth Festival (AIYF) will also be in attendance.
The free family event, which takes place at Westburn Park on July 30, has been awarded £9,700 from EventScotland, a team within VisitScotland’s Events Directorate, which is being spent on bringing in headline performers from London and the central belt, as well as providing support for marketing and infrastructure.
This vibrant festival celebrates culture, arts, food and family and combines them with activities to highlight the richness of many different cultural groups in the area. It is a day where sharing each other’s lifestyles, cultural diversity and ethnicity is at the heart of the celebrations.
Performers at this year’s Mela include well-known musician and TV presenter within the Asian and international community, Sandyman; Rise Kagona and the Jit Jive Band, The Desi Bravehearts and The Aberdeen Bhangra Crew.
Taking place between July and November this year, the 14 events from across 10 local authorities have received the funding from EventScotland’s National Programme Fund to support their delivery and help develop the country’s diverse events portfolio.
Jo Robinson, VisitScotland Regional Director, said: “We are delighted to give funding towards Aberdeen Mela - one of the 14 events across Scotland to have been successful in this round.
“Aberdeen is an extremely welcoming multi-cultural city, attracting visitors from around the world, so this event, which celebrates cultural diversity through music, song, stories and theatre, is a perfect fit.
“The National Funding Programme plays a vital role in maintaining Scotland’s reputation as a great destination for events that celebrate our culture and heritage whilst delivering real economic benefits to their local communities.”
Stewart Aitken, the CEO and Artistic Director of AIYF, said: “The partners in Aberdeen Mela One World Day are delighted that EventScotland has decided to invest in the event, this has helped us to put a larger scale, multi-cultural event in Aberdeen City for the first time.
“The award has enabled this original Aberdeen Multicultural Centre event to be more ambitious and look at connecting with a wider range of the community and providing a platform for greater cultural exchange. We just hope people from all parts of the city and North-east will come along and enjoy the day.”
Last year, over 4,000 people attended The Aberdeen Mela in Union Terrace Gardens and around 6,000 people watched some of the street performances as part of the AIYF’s Festival in the City event. For 2017, organisers are hoping to have upwards of 5,000 attendees sampling the performances, diverse catering, craft stalls, children’s activities and workshops.
The full list of events which received support in the latest (Round 35) awards from EventScotland’s National Funding Programme are:
- British Transplant Games, North Lanarkshire: July 27 – 30 (£25,000)
- MugStock Festival, East Dunbartonshire: July 28 – 31 (£6,000)
- Aberdeen Mela – One World Day ,Aberdeenshire: July 30 (£9,700)
- European Dodgeball Championships 2017, Wishaw: August 8 – 20 (£9,500)
- Scotland’s Salmon Festival, Highlands: August 29 – September 2 (£5,856)
- St Andrews Photography Festival, Fife: Septemebr 1 – 30 (£5,500)
- Electric Fields, Dumfries & Galloway: September 1 – 2 (£11,500)
- Skyline Scotland, Highlands: September 1 – 3 (£12,000)
- Bo’ness Revival, Falkirk: 2 – 3 September (£8,500)
- BOWFest, Argyll: September 8 – 10 (£6,000)
- The Highland Military Tattoo, Highlands: Steptember 8 – 10 (£19,000)
- Loch Ness Knit Fest 2017, Highlands: October 13 – 15 (£10,500)
- The Spree, Renfrewshire: October 13 – 22 (£10,500)
- Colours of Cluny, Moray Speyside: November 8 – 19 (£6,000)
For more information on Aberdeen Mela, visit: http://aberdeenmela.wordpress.com