The cushion the impact guide to The Notting Hill Carnival 2013
Things we love about London #1,325,316: The Notting Hill Carnival. How could we not love the spectacular sights, sounds and taste of this flamboyant annual event? The largest street carnival in Europe has been taking to the Notting Hill streets every August bank holiday weekend since 1964 and this year’s extravaganza is just around the corner.
The Notting Hill Carnival was first created as an event where the Afro-Caribbean community could celebrate their culture and roots. The carnival echoes the Trinidadian carnivals and parades of the 19th century, which were organised to celebrate the abolition of slavery. The inaugural Notting Hill Carnival, in 1964, showcased the steel band musicians who played in Earls Court regularly. The sound of their music drew the residents out onto the streets and so the annual party was born.
Now, almost fifty years later, the carnival is brighter, bolder and more fantastical than ever. On Sunday 25th and Monday 26th August, the streets of Notting Hill will come alive once more; becoming a massive stage for the Calypso, steel bands and Soca music performers, who play their hearts out, accompanied by various genres from reggae to R&B and funk to dub blasted through the speakers. Music is definitely at the heart of the festival.
Of course, you can’t have a carnival without street food and the Notting Hill carnival does it very well. Caribbean dishes such as curried goat, jerk chicken, rice and peas, plantain and fiery chicken wings will be readily available from various vendors over the weekend. We have been told that Wicked Wings are one to look out for!
If you plan to visit the Notting Hill Carnival, leave the car behind and be prepared for an incredibly busy Tube and bus network. There are plenty of different ways to get to the area but be aware that everyone else will also be availing of TFL’s services. Some Tube stations may shut at various points during the event when they become particularly busy; general advice is to wait for the station to reopen rather than moving to another. Information on reaching the carnival can be found on the Notting Hill Carnival website.
The party doesn’t have to end when the sun sets; there will be a number of after-parties on hand to entertain revellers who aren’t quite ready to call it a day. Details of these parties will be published on the carnival website as and when they are arranged. One which has already been announced is the Notting Hill Carnival After Party at the O2 in Islington. If dancing and partying the night away from 11pm until 6am at a masquerade ball sounds like your kind of bank holiday entertainment, find out more and buy your ticket now.
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