The BBC's Ashish Sharma with a taste of Mega Mela

Mela means festival and would in most cases take place outdoors. But the Mega Mela is much more ambitious and has taken over the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.

It goes on for three days from 27 to 29 November and covers everything from film, food and music, to sport, fashion, entertainment, careers and commerce.

And we are there too! Visit BBC News Online at the BBC production stand, number 3554, all weekend.

Organisers at the BBC's Asian programming unit Network East believe that Asian British culture has never been so popular and Mega Mela was, they thought, the best way to celebrate it.

Paresh Solanki, editor of BBC Asian programmes says: "The Asian communities in Britain have for a long time been making invaluable contributions to British society and the economy.

Fashion shows are part of the fun

"I am delighted to see a festival fitting in status, which celebrates the amalgamation of Asian and British cultures."

In the UK there are1.85 million people who originate from South Asia - together they contibute more than £5m per year to the UK economy.

Asian fashion, food, and music are currently achieving worldwide recognition.

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But despite being a growing market, Asian culture has remained largely untapped. Mega Mela hopes to give it a deserved boost with more than 300 different examples of Asian talent on show.

Bollywood stars including Shah Rukh Khan and Gulsham Grover will provide the main attraction along with British Asian entertainers such as the comedy team behind the BBC's Goodness Gracious Me.

There will also be a strong presence from up and coming young Asian pop stars such as Karma - a rising R and B girl band who some have dubbed the new All Saints.

But while top stars may help to sell the event, Paresh is keen to point out that the mela will offer professional advice and as well as a trade forum.

Traditional uses of fabrics inspire much of the work in the Young Designer of the Year competition

"Not everyone wants to go and see entertainment. Some want to see fashion or find out about business or sort our their careers," he says.

One of the main events will be Network East's Young Designer of the Year competition. More than 500 design students, both male and female, from all communities have entered.

Twenty have been selected to show their designs which fuse Asian and Western fashion influences, often with spectacular results.

Many diverse exhibitors will be at the mela to illustrate how Asians are now involved in every area of western society.

Hand crafts thrive even away from their country of origin

There are just as many others keen to show that, even with integration into the British way of life, the traditional skills of the East can flourish.

The food pavillion has something to tempt everyone with cuisine from the subcontinent. Elsewhere there are traditional South Asian sports such as kabbadi.

On the side of the arts and crafts, rangoli combines rice and natural dyes to decorate the home. And festival-goers will have the opportunity to both try - and attempt to play themselves - traditional razal music from ensemble Punkjas Udhas.

Mega Mela takes place at Birmingham's NEC from Friday 27 November to Sunday 29 November from 0900 to 1800.
Entry costs £12 for adults, £9 for children. For the ticket hotline, call: 0121-767 4545.
Tel: 0121-780 4141 for more details.