BOLTON'S second Apna Bazaar will be a spectacular festival of multicultural fashion, food, music and culture.

The fashions will range from period costumes to the latest silk saris while music will range from bhangra to jazz.

Dancing will include modern salsa to the more religious garba style. The carnival atmosphere will be topped off by stalls offering henna painting, jewellery, fashion and advice.

The bazaar, to be held on July 21 and 22 at Bolton Town Hall, in association with the Bolton Evening News, is aimed at all sectors of the community and includes a special gala dinner that will celebrate the people who have championed diversity in the region.

Career advice will be on hand from a number of exhibitors, and masterclasses will be held by Saira Khan, the feisty runner-up of Channel 4's business-reality show "The Apprentice", and diversity champion Elaine Sihera. Saira, a prolific writer, speaker and television guest, will be giving masterclasses with advice on how to succeed in business.

She has worked for one of the top blue-chip companies in Britain and once declared herself to be "the best salesperson in the country".

Elaine, who is known as "Miss Diversity" because of her background and expertise, will speak on a range of topics, including education, entrepreneurship, inspiration and youth interaction and achievement.

For those interested in the culinary arts, BBC Fusion chef Aazam Ahmad will present live demonstrations of how to create his unique blend of flavours.

Trained in Indian, Cantonese, English and French cuisine, Aazam is one of the most passionate promoters of multi-cultural foods. He writes for the Guardian and the Observer, appears on the BBC GMR breakfast show and is a regular guest on numerous television programmes, including Grubs Up and The Afternoon Show.

There are also opportunities for people to get involved in a more hands-on manner. Last year, young people from Connexions played a major part in the fashion show.

Models of all shapes and sizes are needed again, and there are still some spaces left for exhibitors who wish to meet their customers face-to-face.

Bipin Patel, programme director of the Bazaar, said: "Last year was a tremendous success for various reasons. The people we worked with gave everyone a fantastic insight.

"It's an event that we should all be proud of. It's wonderful to be able to do this, especially in the Year of Harmony, and we can hold it in the Culture Quarter and with the support of the Department of Culture. It really is a case of right place, right time, and with the support of the right people."

The gala dinner will include the Bolton Diversity Awards. These will be awarded to groups, companies or individuals who have made a major contribution to multicultural life in Bolton. Nominations will be invited and full details will be published soon.