MORE that 25,000 people are expected to attend Southampton's biggest free family festival this July.

The Mela Festival is a long-standing annual summer highlight in Southampton’s events calendar.

This year will mark the 17th year of the festival taking place and is estimated to attract 25,000 people from along the South coast.

Festival organisers, Art Asia, said: "We create a great day of music, dance and fun but it is truly the success it is because of the great atmosphere the people of Southampton create.”

The Southampton Mela Festival will fill Hoglands Park with a fusion of music, dance and family activities, all of an international flavour.

The festival has built a reputation as a great family day out with plenty of entertainment and activities for young and old plus entrance is free, as are most of the family focused activities.

The main stage will offer a mixture of international musicians and dancers, and the World Stage will feature music from around the world as well as local acts.

The food-court is set to offer dishes from all corners of the world and shoppers can browse numerous stalls offering handmade jewellery, clothing, arts and crafts.

Children of all ages can let off steam in a sports zone or get creative in the Activity Zone.

Festival organisers are encouraging people attending the event to help be kind to the environment by recycling waste on the day and using public transport or feet power to the festival.

As well as this, organisers are working with festival artists, suppliers and stalls to make better environmental choices.

Last year, more than 30,000 people flocked to the city centre park to mark the 16th year of the festival.

Art Asia is a company that works on delivering South Asian Arts across the South East region.

Their aim is to communicate the rich and exciting experience of South Asian Arts.

The Southampton Mela Festival takes place on Saturday July 13 from 12pm to 9pm at Hoglands Park.