Thousands will gather in Albert Square, Manchester to celebrate the festivals of Dashehra and Diwali at the 9th annual Dashehra Diwali Mela this weekend.

It is the biggest event of its kind in region and admission is free.

Festivals of Dashehra and Diwali, are celebrated by members of the Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Nepalese communities across the world. Diwali, marks the start of the Hindu New Year and takes place 20 days after Dashehra.

The festivals commemorate the victory of good-over-evil. Both festivals are major events for the 200,000 or so members of Greater Manchester’s Indian and Nepalese community, but around half of the visitors to the event are expected to be from non-Asian backgrounds.

Organised jointly by Manchester City Council and the Indian Association Manchester, the Mela (festival) event starts at 2.30pm and carries on until 8.30pm tomorrow in Albert Square in the city centre.

The action-packed day will start with live entertainment on two stages.

There will be performance by the award winning B21 band, Sona Walia, Spice Entertainment, a Bollywood acoustic band. There will also be arts and crafts workshops for children and adults.

Visitors to the Mela will be able to buy everything from authentic Indian food, clothes and jewellery to crafts and accessories.

As dusk falls, there will be a lantern procession at 6.30pm in which 200 or so children from schools all over Greater Manchester will be taking part with the lanterns made earlier in pre-event workshops in schools.

There will also be larger lanterns in the shape of characters of Lakshman and Hanuman from Hindu mythology.

The finale show ‘The Magic of Sanjeevani’, will follow the lantern procession.

It is an immersive piece of outdoor theatre created by the outdoor performance companies Walk the Plank and Nutkhut, Storytelling, dance and special effects all feature in this show.

Throughout the evening visitors will be able to enjoy a variety of delicious Indian food and enjoy Diwali shopping.