UK’s largest Asian festival expected to draw record crowds with biggest artist lineup.

Tens of thousands of visitors are expected at this year’s Sandwell and Birmingham Mela.

It’s described as the UK’s biggest Asian festival – and organisers have promised this year will have the biggest-ever lineup.

Mela is an Asian word for a fair, festival or other public event organised to celebrate a special occasion.

The festival is a weekend extravaganza in the heart of the community that promises to bring the sights, sounds and spicy aromas of South Asia to Smethwick.

It combines live music performances, stalls, food, arts, community showcases, workshops and a funfair.

There were 70,000 people at the event in 2016.

In March 2017, Indian television broadcaster ZEE Network UK signed a partnership with Remarkable Events to be the new sponsor of the event. Star TV previously sponsored the event for the past five years.

So what’s it all about?

Sandwell and Birmingham Mela takes place at Victoria Park, Smethwick, B66 3NJ, on July 1 and 2, 2017.

It’s on from noon to 7pm each day. Gates open at 11.30am.

More than 100 performers are set to perform across three stages at the event including Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff, along with music artists Zack Knight (from London), Sudesh Kumari (from India), Dilpreet Dhillon (from India), Deep Karan (from India), Kadam Verma (from London), Sultana Sisters (from India) and many more.

UK pop artist Roma will also be attending, and folk artists Manmohan Waris, Kamal Heer and Sangtar are coming over from Canada.

Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff will be taking to the main stage at the mela for the first time.

And with Tiger playing a diehard Michael Jackson fan in the dance flick Munna Michael, fans can expect him to show off some of his smooth moves in tribute to the megastar.

Tiger has trained with the crew who have worked on the film Step Up and has choreographed routines for the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce.

Meera and Abhishek from TV show Chupke Chupke will be attending to meet and greet fans.

Thre will also be a bazaar of more than 100 stalls featuring world food, fashion, jewellery, arts, crafts and services.

Danny Singh, director of ZEE Sandwell & Birmingham Mela, said: “The mela is a great opportunity for all communities to come together and celebrate South Asian culture in the heart of the UK.

“We always ensured that the mela is the very best summer experience in the UK for the community and this year will be more exciting as we bring more highly innovative programming and experiences.”

Councillor Richard Marshall, Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for leisure, said: “The Sandwell and Birmingham Mela is a hugely popular event in the heart of Smethwick – there’s always a great community atmosphere.

“It’s an opportunity for people from Sandwell, Birmingham and right across the country to enjoy a wide range of entertainment and the rich cultural diversity Smethwick has to offer in one of our Green Flag parks.”