Belfast Mela cancelled due to coronavirus - and replaced with virtual festival

Belfast’s Mela festival has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Cultural diversity charity ArtsEkta announced the cancellation of the 14th Mela, which had been due to take place on August 30 at Botanic Gardens.

More than 30,000 visitors attended last year’s Mela which is the largest celebration of cultural diversity across the island.

Organisers will instead mark this year with a special free virtual festival from August 24-30.

Nisha Tandon OBE, Executive Director of ArtsEkta and founder of the Belfast Mela said: “It is with a very heavy heart that we have taken the decision to cancel our wonderful annual festival at Botanic Gardens.

“The Belfast Mela has been welcoming audiences during the August bank holiday for over a decade and we are so sorry we won’t be able to bring the traditional Mela to Belfast this year due to the ongoing coronavirus restrictions.

“We did not come to this decision lightly, but we believe it is in the best interests of our audience, performers, exhibitors and staff. We look forward to launching our special virtual edition of the festival later this summer which will continue to bring the magic of Mela online for our audiences.

“Our mission is to unite our communities through creative excellence and we remain focused on ensuring the healing of our city through arts and creativity. “In the meantime we encourage everyone to stay safe and follow the Government advice.”