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Night of Festivals Hounslow brought a riot of colour and carnival to the community of Hounslow for yet another year. In its fifth edition, the weekend of 15 and 16 June saw Bell Square and High Street come alive with live music, art installations and more.
A sunny Saturday was kicked off on the live music stage by DJ Wondergupta. She spun tracks from all around the globe accompanied by the day’s host, Nick from Two Voices Radio.
The talented DJ, VJ, music festival curator and musician set a great tone for the day as families started to drift away from the busy high street and instead joined artist Rebecca Harvey-Hobbs in artistic activities such as contributing their anxieties to her ‘Worry Leaves’.
While all the painting and colouring got a tad messy, meditative duo Mythm brought mellow vibes for attendees to then visit the mindfulness pods in a relaxed state.
For those who remained, they received a master education in the tabla by maestro Gurdain Rayatt – unsurprising considering some of his distinguished teachers including the late Pandit Shankar Ghosh.
Rounding off a fabulous day of music was the BBC Music Introducing artist Amrit Kaur Lohia. The Sarangi player and vocalist demonstrated her talents both in Punjabi and English, prefacing each song with a fascinating explanation of its origins or meaning.
As the evening drew closer, the attendees reluctantly left – only stopping to add their contribution to the Hounslow Heritage tree, which by now had an attractive array of labels to gently twirl in the breeze.
The second day of Night of Festivals Hounslow was no less jam-packed. While Mandinga Arts had popped up in between the musical and creative activities, the Sunday crowds continue to snap photos with them and admire the colourful carnival costumes.
King Brasstards looked dapper in white and red as they led the carnival down the high street to Bell Square. When Mandinga Arts had finished their explosive routine around the heritage tree, observers would find a moment of peace in the zen garden or shared their thoughts on heritage with ArtReach’s National Heritage Lottery Fund stand.
Still, it was most heartening to see young and old come together in the Tamil Foundation’s performances. Their performance in the nearby shopping centre, The Treaty Centre, featured only the younger dancers. Whereas on Bell Square, the mature ladies of their community, who had been learning dance for their health and wellbeing, showcased their skills.
Interspersed with the explosive beat of Asian British Music’s dhol players, the weekend came to a satisfying end. It was hard to say goodbye to the community of Hounslow and a weekend of wellbeing that balanced both moments to socialise and chat before then relaxing and taking the chance to reflect.
Overall Night of Festivals Hounslow continued to celebrate heritage in Hounslow as it again saw a colourful weekend of carnival, music and arts, all with an important focus on wellbeing.
To see some of the images from the weekend follow this link here: Night of Festivals Hounslow
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