Sunday 10th July

First edition (Sunday 10th July)

Thousands attend the 25th Belgrave Mela

Leicester's Belgrave Mela has become of the established events in the city's annual cycle of festivities.

Two stages and a host of stalls and sideshows made this a big draw for the people of Leicester

A large crowd had gathered in front of the main stage in Humberstone Gate.

Fine weather and a host of city centre entertainment, culture and food attracted tens of thousands of people to the 25th Belgrave Mela.

The main stage in Humberstone Gate

Situated under the Big Screen at the end of Humberstone Gate, one of the main pedestrian piazzas in the shopping area of the city centre, The Main Stage offered a non-stop programme of music, dance and entertainment, from 11 a.m. through to its close after 5 p.m.

Dancers from the Kuntal's School of Bollywood Dance put on a glittering show on the main stage

Young rapper EyeC accompanied by a Missy J playing the Dhol drum. EyeC was on stage again in the afternoon (see below).

The performances brought together both classical and traditional music and dance with modern acts, proving enjoyment for people of all ages.

Music of every kind was presented on the main stage. Here top local rap artist "K.Y." (Kyle Jarvis) performs a set of his exhilarating songs with Nottingham Beatboxer Ekko. K.Y. appeared last weekend at the Braunstone Carnival. He will also be one of the star attractions at our Urban showcase on 4th August.

The elephant has a lot of significance in Indian culture and religion. Here is a gaint puppet one pushed along and animated by its operators. In Indian there would be real elephants.

Having spent yesterday at the Glastonblaby festival, Filbert Fox came down to the High Street to help get yet more signatures on the giant football shirt.

The Jaipur Brass Band © Harjinder Ohbi

A brass band is a taditional part of a Mela. The Jaipur Brass Band came over from India to play today. Here they are on the Stage 25, by the Clock Tower.

The Jaipur Brass band playing on the main stage.

Earlier on they performed on the main stage.

Botown - Bollywood Soul Band

The Mela is full of surprises. Just when you think you have seen it all, something completely new pops up. Here is Botown, the Bollywood band that takes you for Memphis to Mumbai. Their delicious cocktail of multi-culture soul and funk was wonderful. And not a tabla in sight.

Over in the area of Leicester Market we came across this pavement artwork by Janak Chauhan. Called Rangol, the intricate designs are made entirely of powder (in this case all white, although some can comprise many different colours.) They are made for weddings, ceremonies and festivals.

Think of India and most of us usually think of food. In the covered market, there were dozens of stalls offering a wide variety of food and cuisine.

If you were not sure what to order, there were plenty of happy people to give you advice.

If you wanted a hot takeaway, there was plenty to choose from. The Mirch stall in Humberstone Gate was going a roaring trade with a wide selection of dishes on offer.

There were plenty of opportunties to try things. Here a young man is learning to play the Tabla.

Photo © Harjinder Ohbi

This amazing juggler did a stunning variety of things: juggling, sword swallowing and hanging a heavy weight from his eyelid, while members of the Jaipur Band played the accompanying music.

Photo © Harjinder Ohbi

Many forms of dance could be seen throughout the day, both traditional and modern. Here a dancer performs on Stage 25 with the Jaipur band, close to the Clock Tower.

Rapper EyeC did a great job comparing on Stage 25 in the Afternoon.

Given our interest in Urban music we couldn't resist going back stage to say hello and getting his Twitter address.

Explore more

Kuntal's School of Bollywood Dancing

Rangoli art made from powder

Jaipur Kawa Brass Band