ONE of the city's biggest festivals returned to Southampton on Saturday for the first time in two years.
Thousands of people flocked to Hogland's Park with their friends and family for Southampton Mela. 
The major festival celebrating South Asian culture was finally back after two Covid-induced cancellations in 2020 and 2021.
It was organised by Art Asia and featured music and dance performances.
Sumaya Imam Shuchita, a Bangladeshi folk dancer, caught an early morning train from Leeds to Southampton to be here today.
She said: "It's wonderful to be back and perform. I have been working with Mela since 2014, so this is an amazing experience every year when I am just performing with them.
"The main thing about this festival is that you get a variety of cultural flavours.
"People are coming from around the world and bringing along beautiful acts and performances."
Stage anchor Preeti Nayar added: "The Mela has been going around for the last 15 or 20 years. The weather is nice, and there's a great turnout.
"The communities are feeling like they have broken a chain of being at home. I think it is going to do a lot of good for mental health as well.
"Today is the chance for people to come out and enjoy themselves with their friends and be part of this lovely event." 
Festival-goers got to see performances by renowned performers including Navin Kundra, Pandit Sanju Sahai, The Hussain Brothers, Vidya Thirunarayan, Pooja Angra, and Karan Rana, along with many more.
Other acts included Bhangra Dance from South Coast Bhangra Dance Company, Flamenco Dance and Music from Jero Ferec Flamenco Company, and Tamim Yousefi took over the stage to perform music from Afghanistan. 
First-time visitors also got to see the Chinese Dragon dance act and take part in Tai-Chi and martial arts workshops.
The Mela festival was free, and celebrations kicked off at 12am. It was sponsored by Solent University and Arts University, Bournemouth.
Chris Crouch visited the festival with his family. The highlight of the Mela for him was the music.
He said: "We came to the Mela two years ago, before the pandemic.
"It's great to see everybody back here; all the stalls, music, dance acts; it's good fun." 
Satvir Kaur, Labour leader of Southampton City Council, also came down to celebrate. She said: "It is so incredible to have it back after the pandemic. Southampton is a great place because of our diversity, and nothing encapsulates that more than Southampton Mela. It's great to see people of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures from across the city and region coming together in the park today.
"Please come down and enjoy it with us."
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