Notting Hill Carnival

Feathertastic Notthing Hill Carnival. Photo: Vanja Merrild

Bank Holiday August Weekend in London means one thing -  a feast of feathers, eye-popping costumes, mouth-watering smells and hundreds of thousands partying on the streets of West London. It’s Notting Hill Carnival time.

An end of summer institution, the Afro-Carribbean Carnival was first held in 1966 in an effort to promote cultural unity at a time when race relations were particularly strained in Britain. It has now grown into one of the biggest street festivals in Europe and attracts up to one million festival-goers. If you’re a Carnival virgin, then fear not, help is at hand. The First Pint has put together a guide on how to tackle the festival.

WHEN:

Sunday 29th is the more family-oriented day with a shorter parade route and more child-focused activities. Monday 30th is when the main parade takes place and draws the biggest crowds – this is definitely one for the adults. Festivities start early and last until after 8pm and there’s plenty of after-parties on with celebrations continuing well into the small hours.

PARADE:

The parades kick off at 10am on both days and are the highlight of the Carnival. The ‘mas’ (masquerade) parade is a sea of vibrant colours, feathers, sequins and dance routines with bands varying from groups of thirty to three hundred. The parade winds its way from Ladbroke Grove up Westbourne Grove onto Chepstow Road and finishes up at Westbourne Park. There’s plenty of food stalls and static sound systems on the roads criss-crossing the parade route in case you get bored.

Norman Jay and the Good Times Sound System. Photo: Vanja Merrild

MUSIC:

While there are plenty of traditional Carribbean styles on offer, recent years have seen the addition of more sound systems and genres of music. Amongst the steel pans, Soca DJs and Samba dancers, are stages such as Norman Jay and The Good Times Sound System playing a mixutre of funk, soul, disco and house. There’s also plenty of jazz, reggae, ska, dubstep and drum and bass.

Check The Carnival website here for a list of soundsystems: http://www.thecarnival.tv/bands/ssystems.htm

FOOD:

Another star attraction, the food at Notting Hill is not your average street party fare. The streets are lined with stalls selling jerk chicken, goat curry, peas and rice and fried plantain. In keeping with the Carribbean theme – Red stripe lager and rum punch are the beverages of choice – though bringing your own booze is recommended if only to avoid queues and save cash.

GETTING THERE:

Travelling to Carnival is half the fun – it’s not everyday you get thousands of Londoners headed to the same party. The party starts on the buses and trains and the crowds pile on in greater numbers as you get closer to the Carnival.
But you do need to plan your journey beforehand – some of the tube stations are closed for the weekend and the streets in and around the carnival area are closed off to traffic.

TFL have got a special carnival journey planner so you can work out the best route and check times: TFL Notting Hill Carnvial Planner

One piece of advice though – try and make the last tube. Getting the nightbus back from Carnival can take ages and it’s definitely not as much fun as getting there.

The Party Tube. Photo:Vanja Merrild

AND FINALLY…

With huge crowds come the usual long toilet queues, bad phone reception and opportunistic pick-pockets.

Make arrangements to meet friends beforehand – the phone reception is patchy-to-none and trying to meet people there is a logistical nightmare.

For more information on the festival check the following websites:

http://www.thecarnival.tv/info/main.htm

http://notting-hill.london.myvillage.com/community:carnival

and for afterparties:

http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/

Enjoy!