Boishakhi Mela 2019

Family & Arts Zone

This is a tranquil hub with free creative and wellbeing activities including arts and crafts workshops as well as performances from 12 noon - 6.30pm. All are welcome but workshops are ideally suited to those aged 6+.

Theatre

Be entranced by Tamarind Theatre Co who, along with Mukul and Ghetto Tigers, use music and dance to bring stories to life. Tamarind engages with school aged children to enable them to experience stories linked to their cultural heritage. Join the fun and be transported to distant lands!

East are running interactive storytelling sessions to explore the rich melting pot of the East End's diverse languages, culture and heritage. Working in collaboration with storytellers Shamim Azad and Sef Townsend, along with theatre-maker and musician Paul Burgess, this project celebrates some of the many tales that people across the world have in common.

Jumble Abode are on hand to delight you with their puppetry show, Magical Mishti Shop, set in a fictional sweet shop in Brick Lane. This is run by Nanu who makes the best laddoos, the most intricate jalebis and the plumpest chom choms in town! Nanu uses puppetry and music to tell three short tales of myth, mystery and magic about her most popular sweets. Running time: 25 mins.

Picnic and activity area

Play Grow Do lead gentle yoga sessions with exercise and relaxation for those of all ages and abilities. Join them on a mat or a chair for the feel-good factor.

Carrom Federation will host the popular board game. This cue sport-based tabletop game of South Asian origin is commonly played by families, including children, and at social functions as well as at tournaments. Come and try your hand. If you'd rather pit your wits in a two-player strategy board game, British Bangla Chess Association provide the perfect retreat.

Rest and recuperate

This is a quiet baby changing and feeding area for mums and tots.

Music

The Bollywood Brass Band are on site to play some fabulous toe-tapping tunes and compulsively danceable rhythms of Bollywood. With brass, saxophone, dhol drums and a colossal sousaphone, the BBB is one of the most colourful, joyful and exhilarating acts around.

Dance

The inimitable Naz & Bolly Flex lead dance workshops which use some of the showstopping moves and grooves seen on Bollywood's silver screen.

If you'd prefer to dance at a slower pace, try out some traditional Bengali dance moves with Showmi Das Dance Company.

Arts and crafts workshops

Inspired by the rivers of Bangladesh, Emergency Exit Arts will be leading craft workshops to create colourful costume, headdresses and props featuring magnificent creatures and wildlife surrounding the waterways.

Stitches in Time invite you to explore the art of traditional Bangladeshi cloth doll making and take home your own unique creation.

Hands on Fashion are running fantastic textiles workshops using nature's wonders, and the Rivers of Bangladesh theme as inspiration.

You are what you wear! Join the Museum of London Docklands for a drop-in arts and crafts session. What are your favourite clothes and what do they mean to you? Textiles contain a wealth of stories of makers, wearers and cultures. Try your hand at simple weaving and think about what textiles mean to you in this family friendly activity.

There is face painting aplenty to follow the theme of the parade with a magical makeover.

Mohila Ongon are running a Saree Sunday session where you can be fun and frivolous with gorgeous fabrics. Learn different ways to wear a saree, dress up and snap away for a super selfie or two!

Kobita Corner

Kobita Corner is back! Poetry, referred to in Bangla as 'Kobita', is central to Bengali culture and this delightful space is a sanctuary, dedicated to the celebration of poetry and literature. A number of leading cultural organisations will analyse the power and inspiration of the written and spoken word.

Participating organisations include British Bangladeshi Poetry Collective, Bishwo Shahitto Kendro and Saudha, Society of Poetry & Indian Music. Young people from House of Talent share their stories through poetry and rap. Hope n Mic take centre stage, as do Shanghati Literary Society and last but not least Chandosik, all offering varied performances from talented wordsmiths.

Under the Banyan Tree

As the traditional meeting point in any village, the Banyan Tree provides a community hub for song, debate and 'adda'. This intimate performance space within the confines of the creatively rendered Banyan Tree, provides an acoustic oasis that allows festival goers to sit back, relax and enjoy the vibe, words and music of the performers from 1-6pm. This is a great opportunity to immerse yourself in the laid back sounds from a host of talented musicians and singers.

This includes some gorgeous traditional singing from Bangladesh Udichi Shilpi Goshthi UK Sangsad + Soytten Sen School of Performing Arts, Udichi Shilpi Goshti UK and Mitali Arts Group. There will be soulful sufi folk music with a mystical element from Baul M Hussain + Group as well as brilliant Bangla beats from Bollywood Brass Band. Flautist Moklich Miah and tabla player Piyas Barua will use mellow tunes to transport you to the peaceful haven of rural Bangladesh.