Celebrations to mark the return of Notting Hill Carnival kicked off on Saturday evening as more than 1,000 people gathered to watch the Panorama Steelband perform.
The carnival has been online in recent years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but will return in person on Sunday and Monday.
Guests gathered at Emslie Horniman Pleasure Park, west London, to see a curtain call from five steel bands – Mangrove, Croydon Steel Orchestra, Ebony, Metronomes and Pan Nation.
Reigning champions Mangrove have won for three years running and member Joelle Gardiner, 34, said: “It’s hard to put into words how good it would be to win tonight.”
“I’ve been coming to the carnival since I was six or seven years old, watching people play until I was old enough to get involved too.”
Gary Yearwood, 27, from Dulwich, musician and regular at Notting Hill Carnival (Maighna Nanu/PA)
(Phone PA)
The return of the carnival was exciting for spectators as well as participants and people of all ages danced in the streets on Saturday.
Bhavini Goyate, 29, who lives in Harrow, said: “Getting back together is so special because a whole community is going through this year to come together again.
“This road test kicks off my weekend.
“To come together like this means a lot anyway, but especially after everything we’ve been through, it means so much more.”
She added: “I think it’s going to be an amazing emotional weekend.”
Aaron Williams, 28, who also plays in the Mangrove Steelband, said Saturday’s race was like “Christmas”.
He told the PA news agency: “This is my Christmas, this is my favorite part of the year.
“I’m very excited about the return (carnival), I missed it a lot. It’s good to get the vibes back and see everyone enjoying themselves.”
Olivia, 34, who did not want to give her surname, traveled from Yorkshire to London for the carnival.
She first attended the carnival when she was 14 and said it “feels like an incredible thing that it’s still going on” and it’s “such a wonderful celebration of culture and heritage”.
