It’s carnival time!
Europe’s biggest and best carnival is back. Notting Hill Carnival it’s one of the most exciting weekends of the year for Londoners and many beyond the capital. There’s music, dancing, costumes and everything else any carnival fan could want.
It’s a welcome return to the carnival after two years of postponement due to pandemic concerns.
Here’s Euronews’ guide to this year’s festivities.
A history lesson
until many carnivals across Europe come from religious tradition, Notting Hill Carnival has a different origin.
The first ‘Caribbean Carnival’ was held in St Pancras Town Hall in 1959. Although it did not take place in Notting Hill, even then the event was very much associated with the Notting Hill community.
In the late fifties, racial tensions were high in London. The previous decade had seen an influx of people from the West Indies answering the call from England to aid its post-war reconstruction, and giving up their lives and homes in the Caribbean.
Although these people came from the colonies of the British Empire, there was a less than warm reception in the UK. The tension between the white British community and the West Indian community came to a head during the Notting Hill race riots of 1958.
After the scenes of violence subsided, West Indians wanted a way to celebrate their culture and remind them of home.
One of the main people associated with the start of the carnival was Claudia Jones, a journalist and activist born in Trinidad and Tobago, who had been deported from the US because of her membership in the communist party. She also founded Britain’s first major black newspaper, the West Indian Gazette, in 1958.
Jones helped organize the carnival and asked that some of the proceeds from ticket sales be used to pay the legal fees of people arrested in last year’s riots.
The carnival featured palm trees from Kew Gardens, a black beauty pageant, music and dancing. It was even filmed by the BBC. The carnival ran in the hall for five years before switching to a street festival in 1964.
Since that first borough carnival in 1959, Notting Hill Carnival has become one of the biggest events in London.
What should you do at the carnival?
Eat, drink and be merry! There is an incredibly large range of food to try and enjoy from all over the Afro-Caribbean diaspora as the carnival stretches across the entire bank holiday long weekend of August 27-29.
All days have a slightly different vibe with Saturday being considered family day and the colorful parade of floats, while Sunday and Monday are wilder and more extravagant for parties.
For those who participate, it is recommended to download the official The Notting Hill Carnival app which will provide maps, show listings, and food and transportation recommendations.
The main carnival parade will wind its way from Ladbroke Grove through Westbourne Park and finish at Ladbroke Gardens.
The festival officially opens on Saturday at 6am with the ‘J’Ouvert’ opening ceremony, which if you can drag yourself out of bed, is not to be missed.
Costumes, colors and make-up!
One of the best parts of Notting Hill Carnaval is all the amazing costumes the paraders wear.
Mas costumes are the term for carnival costumes. Deriving from the word ‘masquerade’, the origin of mas groups at carnival is from a Caribbean tradition that dates back to the 1800s when slaves dressed up as their masters as a form of mockery.
Measure the gangs now collect to dress up according to different themes every year. Many of the suits today owe it to him Brazilian samba traditions also.
Every year, there is a contest at the carnival for the best costume mas group and the winner will be announced on social media.
One of the biggest things on everyone’s to-do list this year is to check out the UK’s National Steel Belt Panorama Competition.
At Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance Park on Saturday from 4pm-12am, the Panorama competition is the place to hear some of the best steel band musicians compete to see who has the best grooves.
While most of the Notting Hill Carnival is free, you must buy tickets in advance for the Panorama pageant. However, the proceeds are split between the artists, so it’s a worthy investment.
If you want more music, check out the app to locate a sound system around the parade and dance.
For those brief moments when you are not tapping your feet, there are also 300 different food stalls participating. It’s a great chance to try some Caribbean flavors like chicken, roast goat, ackee and salt fish, roti and peppers.
Notting Hill Carnival is always a fun weekend, but it’s also a long weekend. Our final piece of advice is to pace yourself, drink water and hang on.
