Boishakhi Mela

The Boishakhi Mela (Bengali: বৈশাখী মেলা Boishakhi Mêla) is celebrated in London, England, and in New York City, United States, Tokyo Japan as well. In London, it takes place across the area of Banglatown in the borough of Tower Hamlets in east London through Brick Lane to Weavers Fields and Allen Gardens in Bethnal Green. The event is a celebration of the Bengali New Year, with musical and cultural events held. It is the largest open-air Asian festival in Europe and the largest Bengali festival outside of Bangladesh. After the Notting Hill Carnival, it is the second-largest street festival in the UK attracting over 80,000 visitors from around the UK. Although the Bengali new year falls on 14/15 April (1st Boishakh in the Bengali calendar), the festival is held in the second weekend of May on a Sunday to avoid the period of higher risk of rain during the month of April. Having started in 1997, the 10th anniversary of the mela was celebrated in 2007.

The Boishakhi Mela was launched in Brick Lane and celebrations of the Bengali New Year have been celebrated by the Bangladeshi community in England since 1997. The original event based in Bangladesh and West Bengal is called the Pohela Boishakh. The festival was created for the purpose of the Bangladeshi diaspora living in the UK. It was organized by the local people, and is now managed by the Boishakhi Mela Trust Ltd, a non-profit organization.

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