Preparations are under way for the big Mela procession and festival in London’s East End at the end of the month.

Dance troupes like Bolly Flex are among top acts line up for the grand Sunday entertainment set for the stage at Bethnal Green’s Weavers Fields from 12 noon to 7pm on July 31.

Boishakhi Mela, the longest free Bengali New Year festival outside Bangladesh, kicks off in Spitalfields with a parade along Brick Lane from 11am, winding its way along Buxton Street and Vallance Road to Weavers Fields park.