Birmingham Mela reveals Spotify as headline sponsor
Birmingham Mela, the South Asian music festival, has revealed Spotify – the audio streaming subscription service – as a title partner. The festival also welcomes PepsiCo’s Kurkure snack as its official partner along with Colors, PTC Punjabi, and Red Bull.
As part of the partnership, Spotify brings the “Baari” singer Bilal Saeed from Pakistan, and popular Punjabi artist, Guru Randhawa, from India, to perform at this year’s festival at Spotify’s Desi Hits main stage.
The Sandwell and Birmingham Mela will be held on July 22 – 23, 2023 at Victoria Park, Smethwick. Now in its 11th year the festival is the biggest of its kind in the UK and attracts thousands of visitors. Encompassing the celebration of South Asian and British culture, the Mela is a festival-style event open to all communities and ages offering international music and film acts, local talent performances, food outlets, arts and crafts village, a shopping bazaar and a massive funfair.
Danny Singh, event director of Sandwell and Birmingham Mela, said: “This year we are proud to welcome our new partners. We’re looking forward to working with the Spotify team to celebrate South Asian Culture at the Birmingham Mela. These partnerships add great value to the vibrate festival and help us connect our audiences to mainstream brands in a meaningful way. The on-ground experience will be very different this year with partners offering a range of activities and activations, along with a brand new stage.”
Rutaba Yaqub, Spotify senior editor (Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh), said: “Spotify has established a strong foothold in the South Asian markets recently, putting the global spotlight on several local artists. This year we’re celebrating South Asian Heritage Month through our partnership with the Birmingham Mela. We want to be at the centre of cultural moments that matter to our South Asian listeners, including those in the diaspora, and this event is a fantastic platform to do so.”
