Tuesday, 7 September 2010

Archive for the ‘August’ Category

HOWZAT! Festival Sporting Events

Posted on: August 5th, 2010 by admin

To celebrate the addition of sporting events to our 2010 programme we have teamed up with Activcity and the City of Edinburgh Council to stage an extra special 20/20 cricket match on Friday 6th August at Leith Franklin Cricket Club, Edinburgh (East Leith Links), which will see local Leith FAB CC take on our specially selected Mela team of players – who will win? Who will be on our team? and… most importantly will there be a Venezuela in sight? grab a picnic rug and make your way down to Leith Links from 4pm to find out!

Can you bend it like Beckham? Other highlights of this year’s sporting programme which takes place on Sunday 8th August between 1-5pm include expert football coaching sessions, rugby or try your hand at rock climbing on our very own climbing wall (courtesy of Edinburgh International Climbing Arena, Ratho) with coaches from the centre on hand to show you the ropes. Open to children of all ages, all the above activities are free to participate in with beginners welcome.

Phew! After all that physical activity why not treat yourself to some of the global cuisine on offer in our festival marketplace.From Danish pastries to red hot Indian curries – we’ve got it covered!

Four Star Review!

Posted on: August 17th, 2009 by liamsinclair

Published Date: 10 August 2009

By Jan Fairley

****

PILRIG PARK, LEITH

THIS gem of a multicultural festival was buzzing. Happily returned to Pilrig Park, its programme of music,

dance, craft and food stalls was a kaleidoscope for the senses. In the big top, an early highlight was Yatra,whose eclectic fusion of Taiko drumming, south Asian and Scottish traditional music featuring Indian dancers, has matured, with fluent exchange among all involved for their Homecoming commission.

The laid-back jazz styles of Singapore’s New Asia group set a cool mood. In contrast, Gol brought politics to the fore, playing against dramatic recent images from Tehran. Their music gained gravity with Azeri singer Aidin Poori and Ilhan Barutcu on Turkish flute, complementing Vosough Ahmadi’s delicate dulcimer sounds.

Bhangra queen Mona Singh then got the public dancing, hooting carnival horns as they did so.

Outside Garden Stage acts included pin-up soul singer Anshul Tomer (with a Michael Jackson lookalike doing a stunning Billie Jean tribute). Three dazzling Bollywood tribute sets by the Desi Bravehearts delighted an enormous family audience.

The Zawadi Women’s Choir showed the strength of the local community with their African songs, as did the shifting samba rhythms of the Pulse of the Place. Sword-swallowing magician Jardu was a hoot, drawing a woman from the audience to magic away her gold ring and watch into a closed tin can.

Creativity was abundant at the food stalls, where a man deftly made naan breads in a charcoal oven. I ate some with spicy chicken, then explored the Forest Workshops, where a group made a yak herder’s hut and kids were weaving Chinese dragonflies and making Nepalese kites. Now there’s diversity in action!

Cllr Cardownie finds perfect pitch for Mela cricket event

Posted on: August 5th, 2009 by liamsinclair

A cricket match on Friday (August 7) between Edinburgh’s Iman cricket players and a Scottish president’s select kick starts this year’s Edinburgh Mela festivities which takes place this weekend at Pilrig Park.

Cllr Steve Cardownie will bowl the first ball at the Mela cricket match, organised by the Edinburgh Mela and the City of Edinburgh Council Sports team, who are project managing the event in partnership with the Iman Cricket Club.

The Mela Cricket match will take place at Leith Academy Park from 4pm on Friday August 7, where Edinburgh-based Iman cricket club take on a president’s select featuring several Saltires cricket players as well as Edinburgh rugby players/staff.

Alongside the match on August 7 there will be musical entertainment from Pulse of the Place samba band as well as several sporting come and try stations. Cricket Scotland and Edinburgh Rugby team will be holding stalls at the event and food will be served courtesy of Mrs Unis.

Cllr Steve Cardownie, Chair of the Mela Board, said:

“I think the idea of a community based cricket match between local youngsters, professional cricket players and members of the Council is a fantastic way to begin this year’s Mela Festival.”

In addition to the main cricket match, the Mela Tapeball Cricket Tournament runs from 10am -3pm at Academy Park. This youth tournament will feature three local teams and is being organised by the Edinburgh club. Spectators are encouraged to come along and watch the future stars of Scottish cricket as they play in this newly established tournament.

All other Mela events will take place at Pilrig Park from Friday the 7th with Sakhian Ladies night kick starting the festivities at Pilrig Park at 6pm.  Over the weekend of the 8th and 9th Pilrig Park activities will take place from 12 noon on wards.

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