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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Matt Bryan

Hamilton's Mela Celebration hailed a 'huge success' as thousands flock to town centre for fun day

An all-day event in Lanarkshire to celebrate culture and diversity has been hailed as a "huge success".

Hamilton town centre was awash with colour on Saturday as locals turned out in their droves for the Mela celebration.

The first of three summer family fun days to take place on Quarry Street was packed with entertainment and activities for people young and old to enjoy.

That saw Lanarkshire’s first ever Pride stage feature on the day as popular drag queen Garry King hosted performances from a fabulous ensemble of talent.

Crowds enjoyed musical and dancing displays from local groups, and the streets were lined with a delicious array of food and drink markets with over 40 vendors taking part.

The Mela event is a community celebration of culture, difference and diversity featuring performances with a multi-cultural twist that brings entertainment and vibrancy to the town.

Thousands attended the fun day on Saturday (Lanarkshire Live)

Run by Hamilton Business Improvement District (BID), organisers have told how Saturday's fun day was possibly the best event run in the town yet.

Malcolm Thomas-Harley told Lanarkshire Live : "It's probably the best we've ever done. To see lots of people from different cultures all come together in the same space was amazing.

"It provided something more than just an event. It totally surpassed what we were expecting. The whole place was buzzing with thousands of people there throughout the day.

"The public reaction and level of support has been so great. The level of integration from everyone was really good to see.

"It was without a doubt our best attended event ever outside the Christmas lights switch-on event."

Local drag queen Garry King hosted Lanarkshire's first ever Pride stage on the day (Lanarkshire Live)

On the day, a steady influx of footfall landed in the town centre, joining in the jubilant scenes.

The free Hang-On climbing sessions proved a very popular feature on the day as youngsters lined up to try out the new facilities.

Also on display was fairground rides, arts and crafts workshops, face-painting and lots more.

And it all returns again this weekend when the Fashion Fun Day takes place in Hamilton town centre from 10am to 4pm.

Hailing Saturday's success, Malcolm added: "To be able to host our first ever Pride related event also and for it to be so warmly received by all walks of life was a privilege.

"There were multiple activities and performers all playing at the same time, and was jam-packed, full of colour, life and energy. It was a huge success."

To keep up to date with the summer events, you can check out Hamilton Our Town on Facebook.

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And did you know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Head on over and give us a like and share!

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