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Crawley International Mela 2009
Some Like it Hot!  Samba & Bhangra
July 5, West Green start for Childrens' Multifaith Parade

July 25-26, Mela 2009 weekend at The Hawth, Crawley

  Browse this website for details, news, progress reports on the developing plans for the big weekend, programme details, helpful hints on parking, locations of stalls and workshops, special offers and much more.
     
 
Welcome to the official Crawley International Mela website    
     

Crawley Mela Association
 
Back again, bigger, better and more international than ever, Mela Festival 2009 offers a full weekend of family fun and activity with something for everyone.  But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

The new Committee (shown below) is planning not only the traditional Mela Festival but also to extend our range of year-round community services, including:

  • Bigger Childrens' Parade in conjunction with the Crawley festival finale on July 5 - featuring the return of the uplifting Bloco Fogo Samba street band

  • More Same Sky Artist Residencies in local schools - get your request in now!

  • More School and Community Outreach visits from multicultural artists - see the Outreach page for a current listing.

  • Sports for teens - kabadi, kite flying, martial arts, Chi Gong, a new Crawley Open Volleyball league!

  • Youth Events with Crawley Vision In Youth Collective.

  • More Festival content - off-stage interactive, more artforms and media including comedy and music fusion with the 2009 focus on bhangra and Latina styles.


2008/9 Mela Executive Committee: Hazel Ellis, Cllr. Jim Smith, Hash Mulji, Rick Heybroek, Sajida Irshad, Roger Fox, Upendra Sharma, Sarah Lee, Deven Patel, Raj Amin.  Not shown: Cllr. Brenda Smith (photographer)

As always, the Festival features a complete range of children's workshops upstairs in the Hawth over the weekend, including rongoli, sugar magic, soap decorations, kite-making, palmistry, tarot, face- and henna-painting and much more.
 

For families we have the highly popular Community Stage

with a full parallel programme including Hindu dance, Irish dance, African fashions, magic, music and more. Look around and you'll find other workshops both outside and inside the Hawth, including Tiger Crane Chi Gong, health and well-being workshops for adults and something new for 2005, the Africa Zone, with African storytelling, M'bira playing, drumming, mask making, acrobats and Cajun BBQ.

Once again, the Mela Committee have put together a glowing tribute to multi-cultural Crawley, based on the efforts of a small army of hard-working volunteers from our Hindu, Afro-Caribbean, Buddhist and Islamic communities, and delivered with no entrance charge, in keeping with our ancient Mela tradition of respect for all human life.

 

Jazz Camara, African drum and Mbira workshop

New Mela Forums

If you're looking for information or want to ask questions or share views with other Mela fanatics, we've launched easy-to-use web forums covering everything from Stall hire to Children's workshops. All you need to do is register your name and email address, and you're up and running.


Sponsors and Supporters


The Hawth Theatre


Crawley Borough Council

bbcradiosout.jpg - 619072 BytesBBC Radio South

 

   


 
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