Every year the Notting Hill Carnival takes place over the last bank holiday weekend in August and fills West London with bright, vibrant colours, the sound of the Caribbean and the smell of foods from many different places. Millions of people from all over Britain and Europe flock to west London to enjoy this colourful, multicultural celebration with dancing, music and delicious caribbean food. It has been cancelled over the past 2 years due to COVID but is all set to happen this year, bigger and better than ever.
What comes next in the article?
- Notting Hill Carnival – What is the history of the carnival?
- What can you expect from Notting Hill Carnival?
- Not only fun! Destruction and vandalism during Notting Hill Carnival!
What is the Notting Hill Carnival?
The Notting Hill Carnival itself is a free street festival, rooted in Caribbean culture, music and food. It is a vibrant, loud event with bright coloured costumes, steel bands and aromatic food. Unlike many other local festivals, Notting Hill Carnival has nothing to do with Britain or religion; it is in fact a celebration of West London’s large West Indian and Afro-Caribbean community. The carnival itself is organised by key members of the local community. In fact, many schools are involved with the carnival, and many members of the community volunteer every year to help with costumes, make up and set up this huge event. For this weekend in August, the whole of London comes together and celebrates unity and cultural diversity.
What is The History Of The Carnival?
The Notting Hill Carnival has its roots way back in the late 1960s. The first carnival took place in 1966 when a local social worker, Rhone Laslett arranged for a children’s street festival, as a way to lighten the racial tension that was rife in the area at this time; due to race riots a few years before. The event was the first community-established multicultural celebration of many. In 1975 the first major carnival was seen. A teacher, Leslie Palmer, introduced generators, sound systems, more steel bands and reggae groups and got sponsorship for the event. Added to this was the street masquerade parade with costume bands and steel bands on mobile floats, a precursor to the carnival that we know today.
Is Notting Hill Carnival Largest Street Festival in Europe?
Today the Notting Hill Carnival is the largest street festival in Europe and the largest carnival worldwide, expert for Rio de Janeiro. The carnival is so big that it is the equivalent of 11 Glastonbury festivals and almost 20 miles of West London’s streets will be filled with people celebrating Caribbean culture. It is estimated that London’s economy will be about £100 million better off after this bank holiday weekend. The processions will boast around 50,000 performers all in bright coloured costumes, there will be more than 70 stages set up around the area for live performers and DJs, and more than 40 sound systems. In addition to this 10, steel bands will be performing and at the end of the weekend approx 16,000 records will have been played.
What To Expect From Notting Hill Carnival?
Notting Hill Carnival officially starts on Saturday evening, It kicks off with the final of the UK National Panorama Steelband Competition final at Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance Park. Sunday is Children’s Carnival which is a family-friendly day with a children’s parade. The Children Parade kicks off at 10 am with many youth groups and schools taking part with mobile floats made by the local community and schools and amazing costumes. The children’s parade follows a 3 and half-mile route around the Notting Hill area, you can move with the floats and dance along the route or stay in one place and enjoy them as they pass by. Grand Final Monday is the big day of partying and features the main parade.
The day is always the busiest of the whole weekend, it is less family orientated and more geared to celebrations and parties! Millions of people can be found on this day in West London, filled with dancing, steel bands, street performers, famous DJs and of course food and alcoholic beverages. The highlight of the carnival is the Notting Hill Grand Parade, which begins at 10 am and consists of over 60 bands, 100 elaborately decorated floats, and thousands of costumed dancers rolling along the carnival route. Community groups and clubs make up the bands.
Not All Fun And Celebration. Powerful Vandalism During Notting Hill Carnival!
Unfortunately, where you find fun and alcohol, there tend to be accidents, trouble and breakages. The route that the main processions travel down for the carnival is main roads filled with residences and various businesses. In the week leading up to the carnival, you will see homeowners, businesses and shop owners that are directly on the route of the procession, or very near, boarding up windows and doors to protect their properties from the revellers and petty criminals taking advantage of the chaotic, loud situation. It is an unfortunate fact, but every year in the weeks leading up to the carnival, property owners, residents and business owners that live or have premises in the area, are forced to protect their homes, walls, garden fences and gates from vandalism and petty theft.
How to Secure Your Own Property During Notting Hill Carnival? Emergency Boarding-Up Service!
If you are a resident, or own property residential or commercial, in Notting Hill or the surrounding areas, it is important that you protect your home during the bank holiday weekend. The areas affected are: Ladbroke Grove, Westbourne Park, Kensal Green, KilburnLancaster Gate and Holland Park. Be prepared, make your property safe and secure and protect it from damages. Board up the windows of your homes and businesses to protect them from getting vandalised and broken.
At Man Glazing our emergency boarding up services is available to help protect your home or business from damage and vandalism during this time. You can count on us to make sure your windows are securely boarded up. In addition, our 24 hr emergency Glazier service is available throughout the weekend if you need us ro come and secure your premises in the event of broken windows or doors, or smashed storefronts. Contact us for more information about our emergency services.