Birmingham Diwali Mela 2023: Line-up & road closures at Soho Road free festival

The Festival of Lights - Diwali - falls on November 12 this year but the celebration is starting early in Birmingham.

This week will see the end of the nine-day period of Navratri or Durga Puja - which culminates in Dussehra, also called Dasara or Vijayadashami, which falls on Tuesday, October 24, in 2023.

And, on the weekend, Birmingham will see the whole of Soho Road, Handsworth light up as one of the biggest Diwali celebrations in the city comes to town. The event usually attracts thousands of visitors and it will be not be a ticketed one.

There’s free entry, lots of fun rides, food stalls, and live entertainment to look forward to. It will also include the Diwali light switch on that will see the whole road brighten up with twinkling lights.

When is Birmingham Premier Diwali Mela in Soho Road taking place?

The Birmingham Premier Diwali Mela 2023 is taking place on Soho Road on Sunday, October 29 from 12pm to 7.30pm.

Line-up at Birmingham Premier Diwali Mela 2023

The festival will be headlined by Jaswinder Singh Bains, better known by his stage name Jazzy B - a Canadian Punjabi singer and songwriter. Performers at the mela will include Dr Zeus, Legha, Steven Sahota and USR.

Road closures for Birmingham Premier Diwali Mela 2023

The area of closure will be between the Grove Lane Junction of Soho Road to Ivy Road junction of Soho Road. The Road closure will start at 5.00 am on Sunday 29th Oct 2023 and go on until 11.59pm on the evening of Sunday 29th Oct 2023. For more information, visit SOHO Road BID on Instagram or Facebook.