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Five-day Indian and South Asian festival on the South Bank

London SE1 website team

A colourful bus from Pakistan has arrived outside the Royal Festival Hall to mark the start of the five-day Alchemy festival at Southbank Centre.

Five-day Indian and South Asian festival on the South Bank
Five-day Indian and South Asian festival on the South Bank
Jude Kelly, Kathak dancer Gauri Shami Tripathi and Kuljit Bhamra, curator of The Southall Story
Five-day Indian and South Asian festival on the South Bank

With a full programme of music, dance, literature, food, debate and fashion, events range from a rare classical concert of works by celebrated composer A.R. Rahman and UK Bhangra, to an evening of music and chat with The Grewal Family from Channel 4's hit documentary The Family.

The festival also includes free classical and folk dance workshops, early morning yoga in the Clore Ballroom, the Alchemy Market and an immersive installation that recreates the sights and sounds of Southall.

"Like the mix of peoples, traditions and boundless energy that conspires to produce one of the world's great cultures, Alchemy – as the name suggests – is the result of an unprecedented coming together of individuals and organisations, all of whom champion different facets of Indian culture in the UK," says Jude Kelly, artistic director of Southbank Centre.

"We could not attempt to tell the story of this most complex and compelling of cultures without them."

The bus is part of The Southall Story, a multi-sensory exhibition in the Spirit Level at the Royal Festival Hall.

Alchemy continues until Sunday 11 April; full programme at www.southbankcentre.co.uk/find/festivals-series/alchemy

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