Three-year-old Calum Cardownie, son of SNP councillor Steve, with Mela dancer Divya Sehgal in Leith yesterday to announce the new venue for the annual Mela Festival 2008.

It will be the biggest to date with a new director at the helm.

The Mela Festival, which features dance, music and theatre, will be extended to a week-long celebration rather than a weekend event in Edinburgh.

It is also moving location, from Pilrig Park to a spacious site at the waterfront beside Ocean Terminal in Leith.

Liam Sinclair, the new director, said this year marks a "step change" in the Mela experience.

He said: "It will still have all that regulars know and love - a carnival atmosphere, a vibrant and exciting mix of theatre, dance and music - but it will be bigger and bolder than ever before, and will include a world premiere.

"Moving to a larger site and extending the event to a full week marks the start of a new and ambitious era for the Mela Festival."

Forth Ports, the property developer and port operator, is the new sponsor. Organisers said the new sponsorship package will help support a vision for Scotland's leading celebration of cultural diversity through the arts.

The festival is supported by City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Arts Council and will run August 25-31.

It was founded in 1995 by members of the city's minority ethnic communities, with the aim of reflecting and celebrating Scotland's cultural diversity.