South Asian Heritage Month, a national moment for learning, reflection and celebration has been commemorated in Wolverhampton for a second year, with a festival of events curated by two of the city’s leading arts organisations, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre and Jaivant Patel Company.

Led by British South Asian artists, creators and personalities, the festival built on the legacy of local South Asian heritage and the people, stories and voices which belong to the rich cultural history of Wolverhampton.

The work of Wolverhampton Grand Theatre and Jaivant Patel Company extends beyond South Asian Heritage Month to help build a more equitable society. The celebrations this month are a vibrant example of meaningful long-term change happening at the heart of the city’s cultural offering.

59% of attendees visited Wolverhampton Grand Theatre for the first time across the entire festival, strengthening cultural value of one the city’s mainstream arts venues and giving Wolverhampton’s rich cultural diversity the platform to be seen and heard.

A series of free-to-attend events honoured the breadth of South Asian cultures at the Grand Theatre, while exploring the shared values and intertwined histories that connect communities in Wolverhampton and globally under this year’s theme “Unity in Diversity”.

A Memory Café for those living with dementia and their loved featured Indian music and dance from Bhangra, Bollywood and Golden Indian Cinema hits, led by Roshni Pink. The nostalgic music and performance provided the emotional, behavioural and cognitive benefits necessary to help community members live well with dementia.

For the youngest members of the community, Bhangra Tots with Sohan Kailey introduced under 5’s to the benefits of live theatre, using their imagination, communication and to participate in an on-stage pirate adventure in search for Treasure Island in preparation for this year’s Grand Theatre pantomime of the same title.

BBX Bhangra Fitness delivered optimum cardio fitness, strength, toning and balance whilst Wolverhampton poet Priyanka Joshi presented an afternoon of multi-sensory, family friendly creative escape, exploring the sights, smells and sounds that reflect Unity in Diversity across South Asia.

Panjabi Tales of Willenhall, a multi-form heritage project and documentary explored the lived experiences of Panjabi migrants in award-winning Broadcaster and Campaigner Manpreet Darroch’s hometown of Willenhall. Curated by Mohammed Ali MBE of Soul City Arts in collaboration with Sucha Mela, the project weaves together exhibition, photography, oral testimony, and vignette-led film to preserve and reimagine the intimate histories of migration and settlement within the Black Country.

Artistic projects involved free henna by Vanita Patel, a collaborative fabric painting workshop to design a sari with artist Daya Bhatti and family friendly Gajra Flower making workshop with Veniece Patel from Jaivant Patel Company.

On stage at the Grand Theatre, the festival also included one of only three UK debut performances by Rangle Sardar. Backed by a full live band, it brought the depth and power of authentic Punjabi folk music to the Grand Theatre for the first time. There was also an evening with Chirag Rao, Bollywood Bratpack, which fused classic swing jazz with golden-era and contemporary Bollywood hits and a spiritual evening of Spiritual, Ghazal, Qawwali and Light Classical Music with global artist, Bhavik Haria.

Head of Audiences & Creative at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre Tonia Daley-Campbell said; “Wolverhampton Grand Theatre is a theatre for everyone and we’re passionate about reflecting the cultures and stories of our entire community. We embrace South Asian Heritage Month with open arms, and with over half of this year’s audience visiting and engaging with the Grand Theatre for the first time, we are thrilled to have further strengthened the value of culture in the city, enriching our shared future through the unity in diversity.”

Artistic Director of Jaivant Patel Company, Jaivant Patel said; “Celebrating South Asian Heritage Month in Wolverhampton came out of a conversation between Jaivant Patel Company and Wolverhampton Grand Theatre to celebrate contemporary British-South Asian culture in Wolverhampton. Now in its official second year we are delighted to have continued the growth of this collaboration to truly reflect the many vibrant strands of what being South Asian means in all its forms”