Memorial Gardens in Crawley town centre came alive with the sights, sounds, and flavours of the world as the Crawley Fusion Mela celebrated a spectacular day of multicultural festivities.

The Mela was previously a regular fixture in Crawley’s event calendar, and has been brought back to the town by Crawley Town Centre BID working in partnership with Cohesion Plus, Crawley Borough Council and Pop Up Culture Crawley, taking place on Sunday August 5.

Crawley Fusion Mela drew in thousands of people, all eager to take part in a vibrant showcase of community spirit and cultural diversity. The event featured a rich tapestry of cultural performances, music, dance, and cuisine. This year’s event was particularly special, featuring a vast array of both local talent and national headline acts.

The main stage hosted a variety of performances including headliner PBN, Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band, Kings of Dhol, Tanga Pasi as well as a number of local acts including the Swag Squad and C Raw Studio.

Wendy Bell, Chief Executive of Crawley Town Centre BID said:

“The Crawley Fusion Mela is a wonderful celebration of our community’s diversity and unity,” said Mayor Jane Smith. “It’s events like these that highlight the rich cultural tapestry of our town and bring us all closer together.”

Gurvinder Sandher MBE DL Artistic Director of Cohesion Plus said:

It was a great privilege to work with local partners to deliver the Crawley Fusion Mela. A lot of hard work went on behind the scenes to pull the event together in 2 months but it was worth it to see the reaction of those who attended. For me the Mela showed how arts and culture can bring communities together regardless of faith or background and this is especially important when you remember the Mela took place on the same day as mass rioting in other part do the country. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who came out and supported this community celebration”