TENS of thousands of people soaked up the sunshine over the weekend as a multicultural festival reached a major milestone

Middlesbrough's Mela was marking its 25th anniversary as the region's largest, and most long-established, festival of its type.

The aim of the event is to bring together all communities from across the town and celebrate different food, fashion and culture.

Kerianne Covell from Stockton, a contestant on last year's X Factor, was singing at the event yesterday, with a long line-up of high-profile performers today (SUNDAY).

Organisers estimate that more than 50,000 people were at the event, taking advantage of the good weather and free entry to visit the celebration, which featured music, entertainment, funfair and a bazaar packed full of stalls.

The Mela started with a colourful parade featuring dozens of local children, with a man-made camel and tiger before Kerianne Covell took the stage in her first public performance in Middlesbrough since the X Factor.

Today (SUNDAY) RnB act Raghav arrived on Teesside from Canada for his only UK show of 2015, and hip hop/Bollywood fusion dance act Bolly Nrutya flew in from Mumbai in India, while Britain's Got Talent duo Signature were also on the today's bill.

Programming manager Kash Patel said it had been the Mela's "best ever line-up".