The broad appeal of the event was clear to see as a real cross-section of Leeds’ population, of all ages and backgrounds, were present to enjoy this year’s event. All of the occupants on the bus that I boarded in Harehills were, like me, heading to Roundhay Park for the Mela, so the journey took on a different vibe from a typical Leeds bus journey – the bus driver was clearly in his element, declaring his bus to be ‘the official Mela party bus’. Sometimes on a bus all of the seats can be taken, but on this occasion, room even to stand up was in short supply. As the bus moved there was plenty of jostling and shoving, but there was no violence amongst passengers who were entertained by the bus driver who was clearly ignoring the fact that there are limits as to how many passengers a bus may carry at a particular time.
 | | The bus driver on the 'party bus' |
As the bus pulled into the stop at the park, I asked the bus driver if he would mind if I took his picture. He replied with the famous last words, ‘I hope you’ve got a wide-angle lens’, which I suppose was a reference to the fact that he was a fairly massive guy (meat-head). The fairground attractions at the Mela were heaving, with the various rides being massively popular with the crowds. As tempting as it was to spend the entire day on the dodgem cars, I pulled myself away to go to see the break-dancing display.
 | | The man with a bag on his foot |
On the way over to the stage to see the break-dancing, there was a very proud-looking man walking around with a white plastic carrier bag attached to his right foot. He can’t have known that it was there, because he kept walking with it on his leg for ages, I even had time to go and get a quick photo of his foot before his wife alerted him of his problem. He began to try to remove the bag, which was by now firmly attached to his foot, but it took at least four attempts before he was finally able to take it off. It was a little bit weird that the break dancers danced to ‘the conga’ for several minutes, but they were, as far as stage shows go, the highlight of the day at the Mela. From the old school to the new, the break-dancers wowed the crowds with their skills. The RAF, a partner in running the event, performed an air-show and there were planes parked at the event for kids to play on and go inside. Also present was a fighter plane flight simulator, which, though it was a good idea, was out of order for most of the day. When myself and a few friends got into the ride, the doors shut dramatically before the machine shuddered, creaked and jolted, the doors swinging open again just a few seconds later. The girl running the machine came up the steps to say to us ‘I think it’s broken again’, and that was the end of that. | 
