A MULTICULTURAL arts festival celebrating Bournemouth’s bicentenary attracted hundreds of people to Kings Park yesterday.

Bournemouth and Poole Mela, organised by group Saaz Aur Awaaz, included Bollywood performances, bellydancing and even a Michael Jackson tribute act.

Visitors were able to tuck into a diverse range of international food and check out ethnic clothing, jewellery, books and flower stalls.

Dorset Healthcare NHS Trust and Dorset Race Equality Council were also present and children were kept amused with a bouncy castle.

The event was celebrating at least 30 different nationalities including Chinese, Iranian, Arabian, Libyan and Indian.

Vita Nova and the Butterfly Foundation performed thought-provoking plays on the themes of substance abuse and domestic violence.

There were also sari tying and drum workshops.

Festival organiser Kuldeep Benepal said the event had been “fantastic” and they planned to stage it in Poole next year.

She said: “The event was really to bring all the communities together and learn about each other’s culture and heritage. It is the first of its kind in Bournemouth.”

The event raises money for Saaz Aur Awaaz, which promotes Asian culture and languages, and a donation will also be made to charity, she added.

Mayor of Poole Cllr Chris Bulteel said: “It’s great to see so many cultures getting together.”

Mother and daughter Lynne and Jenny Thornley from Bournemouth said they had bought some Indian food to take home.