Friday, 27th August 2010
UP TO TWO MILLION people are expected to attend this year's Notting Hill Carnival.
The annual parade of colourfully decorated floats, blasting sound systems and a feast of Caribbean food is now in its fourth decade.
"The roots of the Notting Hill Carnival began in Trinidad where the first carnival was held in 1833 to mark an end to slavery in the Caribbean" say the organisers. "The first (Notting Hill) carnival took place in 1964, encouraging people, both black and white, to go into the streets and express themselves socially as well as artistically, and by 1976 this distinctly Caribbean event was attracting around 150,000 people."
Through the 1980s and 1990s the event expanded to become an all-embracing festival for west London.
While for the vast majority Carnival is a time to a celebrate, each year sees the Police having to maintain a balance between a reach-out to help cement community relations and keeping control of a rough-edged minority. This year the Met has made 101 arrests as part of its pre-Carnival Operation Razorback.
LondonNet's pick of the best sound systems are Norman Jay's Good Times (West Row) and Sancho Panza (Middle Row). Normal proceedings stop at around 7pm on both Sunday and Monday, but full-on Carnival goers can head to one of the many after-parties to keep the groove moving.
In short if you fancy great free music, wonderful costumes, to-die-for goat curry and rice and peas, all washed down with a can of Red Stripe, there's no place like Carnival.
For more information and a Carnival Map see the official Notting Hill Carnival site
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