Are you ready for the weekend? From 29 August 2015 to 31 August 2015 in Notting Hill (district in inner west London) is celebrated the biggest street party in Europe. This carnival is consider the second massive carnival in the world only after Rio Carnival.
That explosion of sound and colour, celebrating cultural diversity and all of it’s wonderful by-products It has come to attract up to two million people in the past, but this year it is predicting 1 million attendees.
Though things officially kick off on the Sunday (August 30), there are still events planned for the Saturday (August 29) to get you into the carnival spirit. A free open air event, Panaroma, will host competitive performances by steel bands from across the country while the Association of British Calypsonians is putting on its London Calypso Tent, bringing together storytelling, poetry, political commentary and more.
The Sunday Parade is usually the quieter of the two, and doubles up as Family Day. The Children’s Parade is always a colourful affair, with costume prizes and family events also set to take place. The World Music Stage in Powis Square will deliver a vibrant collection of Caribbean music.
On Monday (August 31), it’s the most grand day of all: The Grand Finale. Around 60 bands and sounds systems will provide the rhythms as the brightly-dressed carnival-goers parade around the area.
The parades begin at about 10am and start to wind down at around 6.30pm – there is a noise curfew that comes into effect from 7pm. The procession will start on Great Western Road in the east, before moving south onto Chepstow Road, across on Westbourne Grove and up to Ladbroke Grove.
History
This annual event has taken place on the Sunday and Monday of the August bank holiday since 1965. It was originally led by members of the West Indian migrant community in London, in particular those from Trinidad and Tobago (Trinis).
The first Notting Hill Carnival took place in 1959 in St. Pancras Town Hall as a response to the situation of race relations in the country at the time. The Notting Hill Race Riots were an example of the tension, lasting for a week during August and September 1959.
This first Carnival was considered a huge success, despite being held indoors. A few years later in 1966 the first outdoors event was organised, inspired by the London Free School and the hippie movement. The aim of this event was to promote cultural unity. What started as a street party for local children turned into a carnival procession when Russell Henderson’s steel pan band went on a walkabout around local streets.
Music
A patchwork of Caribbean-influenced sounds (reggae, dub, dancehall, soca and calypso). Plus house, funk, drum ’n’ bass, jungle, dubstep, ska, breaks and more. All blasting from 38 dedicated sound systems. Oh, and there are steel bands and live bands too.
Food
There’s nothing quite like the smell of Notting Hill Carnival. We’re talking about the wonderful aromas of traditional Caribbean food. The Notting Hill Carnival provides the perfect introduction to jerk chicken, rice and peas and rum punch as well as the odd taste of other exotic cuisines. Bring a healthy appetite along to Carnival, as there are patties, curries, jerk chicken and fried plantain from the street stalls to sink your teeth into. If you love Chicken Wings check out Wicked Wings
Travel Information.
Tube
Notting Hill Gate will be exit-only between 11am and 7pm on Sunday and Monday. There will be no interchange between the District, Circle and Central lines between 11am and 7pm on Sunday or anytime on Monday. Ladbroke Grove will be closed on Sunday and Monday. Latimer Road closes at 11.30pm on Sunday and Monday. Royal Oak and Westbourne Park will be exit-only between 11am and 6pm, and closed from 11.30pm on Sunday and Monday. Bayswater and Paddington will be operating normally.
Stations may temporarily have to shut due to overcrowding, so be patient if you’re waiting to get on the tube or Overground. Other nearby stations are High Street Kensington, Holland Park, Queen’s Park, Kensal Rise, Kensal Green and Shepherd’s Bush. For those making the trip from east London, there will be no Overground service between Hackney Wick and Stratford on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Buses
While extra services will be in operation, no buses will enter the Carnival area from first thing Sunday morning until the first service on Tuesday morning. On both Sunday and Monday, bus services begin from Notting Hill Gate in the south and from the Prince of Wales on Harrow Road (close to Elgin Avenue) in the north. Night buses in the area will also be subject to diversions.
Notting Hill Carnival route map
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