HEAVY downpours threatened to ruin the London Mela in Gunnersbury Park on Sunday, but despite the poor weather conditions thousands turned out in support of the event.

The largest South Asian open air festival outside the sub-continent, the Mela was in its fourth year and its reputation has grown exponentially.

Not just a celebration of Asian culture for an older generation, the bhangra-inspired hip-hop and garage beats from artists like MC Scandalous have led to a real crossover of styles and influences, which are thrusting Asian music ever more into the spotlight.

Although groups such as the Punjabi Hit Squad have been doing it for years, it took recognised US producers like Timberland and Dr Dre to really catapult the Asian flavas into the mainstream.

The 30-acre park featured ten different zones, six stages and 450 artists throughout the day.

One of the highlights was a Bollywood-style dance performance on raised steps, complete with fountains, lights, and an impressive soundtrack.

With a mixture of professional and amateur dancers from all round the country, the Bollywood Steps troupe entertained the crowd with an intricate performance for more than an hour, blending traditional and more modern styles of dance.

Originally commissioned by the Mayor of London for a performance in Trafalgar Square, the Bollwood Steps show proved a big hit with young and old alike.

Other main attractions included Bobby Friction and Nihal from Radio 1, who returned to host the popular London Flavas stage presenting the best in live British Asian Urban music, with the Kray Twinz, The Rishi Rich Project, and Jag and Sonna Rele.