Up to 5,000 people are expected to congregate on Cowley Marsh for an event aimed at getting communities to work together.

It will be the second annual Oxford Mela, a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural festival, and the first to take place in Cowley Marsh.

A host of free, family events are planned for Sunday, June 17, starting off at 10am with a mix of western and traditional eastern sports competitions in the morning, then an afternoon of workshops, parades, live music and other activities.

Oxford City Council's community cohesion officer Nisha Prakash, who is organising the event, said: "The mela has involved a lot of community agencies in the planning stages so people can make more positive links while preparing for the event instead of just seeing the entertainment on the day."

The day has been organised by the city council, Thames Valley Police and Oxford Brookes University's volunteering organisation, Stax.

Sports planned for the morning include football, netball, a selection of different martial arts and Bangladesh's national game, kabbadi.

The afternoon will see drumming workshops including Indian dhols, led by the dhol band from St Christopher's School, in Cowley, and African drums. Dance workshops will teach belly dancing, Bollywood-style, and Egyptian dance Raqus Sharqui.

There will also be a parade of national costumes from different parts of the world.

Ms Prakash said: "On the performance side we have lots and lots of interest. There will be a Bangladeshi singer, an English band, classical dancing, and an international costume parade organised by Oxford Brookes University.

"We have Japanese people on board, Brazilians, Caribbeans, and people from many other different backgrounds."

About 1,000 people attended last year's event, which was held at Oxford Community School in Glanville Road, but Ms Prakash hoped that 3,000 to 5,000 people would come this year in the new location, centred around two marquees.

This year, the city council has put about £6,000 into organising the event and all activities, from dance workshops to face-painting, will be free.