Notting Hill Carnival

One of my favourite people finally returned from bathing herself in the sun and culture of South East Asia last week and we decided that we would celebrate her return in style. Caribbean style that is. If you haven't heard of Notting Hill Carnival, eyes and ears this way please. The 2 day extravaganza has been hitting the streets of Notting Hill in London every August bank holiday weekend since 1966. Carnival's roots originate from the traditional Caribbean carnivals of the early 19th century which celebrated the abolition of slavery. Steel bands, Soca and Calypso music powered the Carnival in its early years, but now it is a melting pot (ahem) of musical genres and tastes- you want R&B? Reggae? Funk, Breaks, House or maybe some Drum and Bass? Whatever your taste you will find it here my friend. Grab a group of chums and follow the smell of jerk chicken, flurry of colourful feathers and pounding beats and you will find yourself smack bang in one of the funnest free street festivals of the year.

The English sun has been doing a really standup performance this summer and luckily it decided to continue its winning streak and hit us with its best attempt at tropical rays. I downloaded the Notting Hill Carnival App before I went which helped us navigate through the swarming crowds to the various stages. I would recommend downloading this for next year as the phone networks are totally jammed over the carnival and you'll be lucky to find much internet!

The first day is the family and children's day when the main parades take place and there is a more age friendly vibe. The second day is when the big DJs set up their decks and everyone gets down to some serious partying. I sadly missed the first day due to commitments back home, but Moni and I poured out some G&T's early on Monday morning, gathered the troops and headed over to Notting Hill.

The walk to the stages was an experience in itself. There is an incredible atmosphere; groups of friends laugh, screech, sing and jig together through the streets swigging rum and munching on BBQed Caribbean goodies. Work, worries and bad weather have no place here and its hard not to be caught up in the buzz and frenzy around you. One of Carnival's biggest pluses is that it's totally free. No tickets or entry fee, all you pay for is travel and any extra food or drink that takes your fancy. The police presence is heavy, but they were helpful and friendly, there to guide crowds and prevent any violence from threatening the fun; they won't bat an eyelid at you bringing your own food or drink to keep costs down, for example! This gem of a YouTube clip may represent them better than I can:

All stages are open to anyone so you can get shaking that thang to some reggae at the High Grade Soundsystem, before jigging over to the Sancho Panza Soundsystem for some house beats, or get your inner Latino on with some Latin and Salsa at the Latin Rave Street Jam. With over 30 stages, there is something for every group and every mood.

We joined the huge crowd around the Digital Soundboy stage, where we saw killer performances from Shy FX, Chase and Status and Ms Dynamite, to name but a few. The music blasted through the street, going crazy with people dancing and spotting friends in the crowd. The beauty of Carnival is that you seem to bump into people you know on every street corner, although trying to intentionally meet up with someone during the day is nigh on impossible- part of the Carnival magic, I suppose.

My advice would be to organise all your friends to meet before heading over to ensure you spend at least a bit of time partying with them before the crowd swallows you. Don't stress about trying to see everyone you know- Carnival is all about the music and the anything goes vibe, so lap it up and enjoy it while you can. Also remember to take water with you- all that sun, rum and dancing can dehydrate you quickly!

However my ultimate advice would be to go at all costs. Two days of sun drenched madness in the streets of Notting Hill will transport you straight to the tropical heart of Jamaica at the price of a train ticket and a bottle or two of your favourite beverage. Pretty good for an English bank holiday weekend if you ask me.

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