Ulster University Belfast came to life this week with a celebration of the city’s growing cultural diversity in anticipation of the return of the Belfast Mela.
The team chose the setting of the bright, high-ceilinged Atrium at Ulster University in Belfast to reveal the festival programme and were joined by Lord Mayor of Belfast Councillor Micky Murray, The Executive Office Junior Minister Aisling Reilly MLA and Nisha Tandon, founder of the Belfast Mela festival.
In a colourful celebration of the city’s diversity, the campus came to life with performances by Dance United and the South Asian Dance Academy before a morning of networking, all in anticipation of the Belfast Mela return on Saturday 17 August.
Following a sell-out year in 2023 in which over 60,000 people joined the festival of Belfast’s culture and communities, the Belfast Mela and ArtsEkta team have revealed a spectacular nine-day programme of events, launched for the first time from Ulster University in Belfast.
From 17-25 August, the city will enjoy a series of world music, dance, food and art events and displays before a festival finale at the Botanic Gardens, all designed to inspire audiences to engage with the diversity, tastes, rhythms and sights that make up the multicultural life of Northern Ireland.
Citing Ulster University as an institution that contributes to the full spectrum of cultural life in Northern Ireland, Belfast Mela event coordinator Krishan Tandon said:
“It is great to launch our Mela 2024 in Ulster University’s Belfast campus which is bringing a new diverse population into the city centre.”
Ulster University Provost Professor Cathy Gormley-Heenan said:
“We were delighted to play host to the official launch of the Belfast Mela festival this year at our Ulster University campus. It was a privilege to get a glimpse of what is in store as the city prepares for a fantastic celebration of the many global cultures and communities that make up our own, and it was a joy to see our campus come to life with music and dance performances.”
View the Belfast Mela Festival 2024 programme and find out more about Ulster University courses and research programmes in Music, Drama, Dance and Performing Arts.