Curries, calligraphy and cutting edge music are just some of the attractions of this year's world famous Bradford Festival Mela.

The annual two-day jamboree has a line-up of entertainment including performances by international artists such as Talvin Singh, Joi and Shaukat Ali and Party.

The Mela, which runs from 1pm to 9pm tomorrow and on Sunday at Peel Park in Bradford, is thought by many to be the highlight of Bradford Festival.

As well as performances on three stages, the free event will feature food stalls, a giant funfair and hundreds of market stalls.

There will also be a children's area, a sports arena and a learning village. The learning village aims to interest people in everything from calligraphy and dressmaking to woodcarving and trampolining. Storytelling, face painting, music and theatre will be among the highlights of the children's zone while traditional Asian pursuits such as Beeni, Kabbadi and stone lifting will take place in the sports arena.

There will be an multicultural flavour to entertainment on the International Village stage, with performances ranging from up-and-coming Bradford rock/dance crossover five-piece Basics to music by Irish and Ukrainian community groups.

Tomorrow will also see the launch of West Yorkshire Archive Service's new Millennium exhibition.

The exhibition, called West Yorkshire Cosmos: Minority Communities Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, will be launched by Sunrise Radio presenter Gail Papworth at 1pm.

Up to 120,000 visitors are expected over the weekend, making the event the biggest free multi-cultural festival of its kind in Europe.

Police are warning motorists who are not going to the Mela to avoid the Peel Park area. Visitors are urged to used First Bradford bus services if possible. Peel Park is served by city circle routes 601, 602 or 608, 609, 688, 640, 641, 642 and 644.

This year's attractions include tabla maestro Talvin Singh, who shot to prominence when he won the Mercury Music Prize; a farewell show by folk singer Shaukat Ali and Party; BBC Asia Music Award winners Joi, bhangra stars The Sahotas and dance and world music fusion specialists Fun-Da-Mental.

This year's Mela is unlikely to enjoy the sort of sunshine that has blessed some of the festival's other events such as the Lord Mayor's Carnival Parade, sponsored by the Telegraph & Argus. Forecasters say it will be cloudy this weekend with a risk of showers tomorrow.