A colourful bank holiday weekend in Notting Hill

They call it Britain's Biggest Party and it is happening this weekend! Notting Hill Carnaval starts today, and end tomorrow will a Grand Final Parade. If you are around, don't miss it out. It is a fantastic opportunity to get some inspiration. The costumes, the colours, the music and the rythm... oh you are all in for a treat.

SUNDAY 30th: BE PART OF IT

Time: 6am to 9am

It is an excellent start to the carnival festivities. A time to get dirty, adventurous or just to dress in a comical or carnivalesque outfit. Jouvert allows music lovers to jive along the streets to African drums or steel bands. Procession starts and finishes at Canal way, Ladbroke Grove W14 next to the Sainsbury’s car park.

MONDAY 31th: THE GRAND FINAL

Time: 10am to 8:30pm

The Grand finale showcases a sea of vibrant colours as 60 bands in magnificent costumes dance to the tantalising rhythms of the mobile sound systems or steel bands. Enjoy the magnificent continuation of vocals on the “World Music Stage” at Powis Square.

Come and be entertained by UK Calypsonians, soca artist, visiting international artists and other emerging acts. See how many of the 38 sound systems you can go and listen to as they entertain you with their numerous genres of music and different performances, all adding to the Carnival’s one of a kind atmosphere. 

HISTORY

Founded in 1964 as a way for Afro-Caribbean communities to celebrate their own cultures and traditions, the Notting Hill Carnival is an amazing array of sounds, colourful sights and social solidarity.

At the roots of the Notting Hill Carnival are the Caribbean carnivals of the early 19th century – a particularly strong tradition in Trinidad – which were all about celebrating the abolition of slavery and the slave trade. The very first carnival was an attempt to showcase the steel band musicians who played in the Earls Court of London every Weekend. When the bands paraded through the streets of Notting Hill, they drew black residents out on to the streets, reminding them of the Caribbean homes they had left behind. 

For more information, please visit www.thenottinghillcarnival.com


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