'We'll be back next year!' says York Mela festival organiser

Thousands of people dropped into the Museum Gardens behind York Art Gallery during the course of the day on Sunday to enjoy an international festival of music, food and fun.

There were a string of live performances throughout the day on an open stage set up beneath the old Abbey precinct walls, including Bollywood dancing, Ukrainian singing, dances – in full period costume – from China’s Tang dynasty, a performance by York's recently-formed East Asian Ensemble - and much more.

York Mela - dancers in traditional Chinese Tang Dynasty costumes (Image: Stephen Lewis)

Other events included demonstrations of Brazilian martial arts and Chinese Tai Chi – and even members of the Ebor Morris dancers dancing along to the rhythmns of Japanese-style Taiko drummers.

York Mela festival: Bollywood dancer Miz Diva Deeba (Image: Stephen Lewis)

Organiser Shamim Eimaan said it had been a ‘joyous celebration’ of all the different communities in York coming together to share their culture.

“I’m over the moon with the way it went!” she said. “There has already been some wonderful feedback on social media – people talking about the fantastic time they had, and how they’re hoping it will come back again next year.”

York Mela festival organiser Shamim Eimaan (Image: Stephen Lewis)

Shamim said well over 3,000 people had visited the event during the course of the day – many staying for hours, picnicking on the grass mound in the artists garden behind the art gallery to watch performance after performance.

Long queues formed at the stalls selling Asian street food.

And at once point, members of the audience got up and spontaneously joined in the dancing - alongside a Bollywood dancer and a group in ancient Chinese costume.

York Mela - members of the audience joined in a spontaneous dance in front of the stage (Image: Stephen Lewis)

The threatened rain held off almost all day – except for a few brief minutes when there was a light shower. But by then, people were having so much fiun they hardly seemed to notice.

"It didn’t seem to bother anyone!” Shamim said.

Shamim said she was already starting talks with the event’s main sponsor, the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), which helped to organise a serties of health-related stands which ringed the performance area.

“And I want it to be back bigger and better next year!” she said.

The Lord Mayor of York Cllr Chris Cullwick, who opened the festival, was equally enthusiastic about how it had gone.

“It was wonderful to see so many people from different backgrounds and cultures coming together in such a joyous way,” he said.

“It is just what York meeds – and I very much hope that it will be back again next year!”

York Mela - Ukrainian singers on stage (Image: Stephen Lewis)

York Mela: the East Asian Ensemble performing Chinese music (Image: Stephen Lewis)York Mela - crowds sitting on the grassy mound in the artist's garden behind York Art Gallery to enjoy the performances (Image: Stephen Lewis)An Asian street food vendor at the York Mela (Image: Stephen Lewis)