Southampton Mela Festival Cancellation Costs City Businesses £500,000
Key Highlights :
The cancellation of the Southampton Mela Festival due to high winds has cost city businesses and organisations more than half a million pounds in lost revenue. The event, which was due to take place in Hoglands Park on Saturday afternoon and evening, was called off 24 hours before when a yellow weather warning was issued predicting winds of up to 50mph in the city centre.
The Mela, which has been a fixture on the community calendar for more than two decades, attracts around 25,000 people. It costs approximately £130,000 to put on the event, which is heavily supported by volunteers and features local traders, artists and guests from all over the world.
Using the Event Impacts Economic Impact Calculator as a guide, organisers believe the economic impact of the cancellation, on hotels, restaurants, retailers and the like, is £500,000 plus. Producer Matt Sanger said: “It was such a disappointment to cancel, especially when the type of weather conditions were so unusual. It is of course most disappointing that people get to miss out on the wonderful event that is such a great day on Southampton’s cultural calendar.”
In the short term, Art Asia will be working with Southampton City Council and Go! Southampton to put on some smaller events to act as a Mela replacement of sorts. These events will provide some much needed economic relief to the city, but will not be able to make up for the loss of the Mela.
The Mela was due to feature the Indian Classical Music of Pandit Sanju Sahai, the energetic beats of Bhangra Artists Foji Gill, Happy Singh, and Shin DCS, and Rakhi Sood's TMC Dancers with their captivating Bollywood dance. Audiences also missed out on Mughal Miniatures, an outdoor performance event from world leading Kathak dance artists, and The Inner Vision Orchestra, with its blind musicians.
The cancellation of the Mela is a huge blow to the city, both culturally and economically. The event brings people together to celebrate diversity and provides an opportunity for local businesses to make money. It is essential that the city works together to ensure that the Mela returns next year, and that the event continues to be a success for many years to come.
