Bradford Mela will be filling Peel Park with a celebration of cultures this weekend.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to flock to the Undercliffe park to enjoy all the entertainment, the children’s zone, stages, street theatre, funfair rides and market stalls.

Organisers are encouraging people to use public transport or their feet to get there and leave their cars at home to avoid traffic congestion.

But for those who cannot, there is on-site car parking for £5 a day. Gates open on both days at noon and close at 8pm.

The fun commences at 12.45pm tomorrow from the Mango Stage when the Deputy Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Mohammed Jamil, opens the 2010 event.

This year the Bio Dome will be celebrating nature and life on earth with a great plant hunt, snail Olympics, flower-planting, story-telling and dancing. There will also be information about the Council’s b-someone campaign to boost skills and educational attainment.

Other sights and sounds include 17-year-old singer and songwriter Ann Drury, of Keighley, Bombay Baja, one of Europe’s first Indian brass bands, and Darren Dutson-Bromley, a composer, arranger and professional musician who has performed with many musicians, including Jools Holland and Girls Aloud.

Other attractions include a Chinese ribbon dance that dates back 2,000 years, Kawa Circus, Mighty Zulu Nation dancers and singers and Milun, a group who explore both Indian and Irish musical traditions.

There will be lots of opportunities for people to get hands-on experience of a number of diverse activities. The Lord Mayor’s Carnival Parade will host a tent making colourful costumes for a mini parade around the site and Bradford Gold Sports Zone will help develop cricket and rugby skills alongside a climbing wall.

Zoobin Surty, a professional dancer and choreographer who trained in Indian classical forms of dance, and is a graduate from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, will be leading a mass Bollywood routine in front of the Big Screen at 2pm and 4pm on both days, helped by Bradford Dance For Life classes.

Bradford Council’s executive member for culture, tourism and sport, Councillor the Reverend Paul Flowers, said: “There is something for everyone on offer over the weekend to keep all the family entertained and attract visitors from across the district and beyond. I am really looking forward to enjoying the sights and sounds of the Mela.”