Notting Hill Carnival, London: photos


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The Notting Hill Carnival

The Notting Hill Carnival is a street procession and festival which takes place in the area of west London known as Notting Hill during the long Bank Holiday weekend at the end of August. It is organised by the Caribbean community in London. It is one of the largest street celebrations in Europe, and has been taking place annually for about 40 years.

There are five key components of the carnival, each organised by a different association:
- Calypso (ABC - Association of British Calypsonians)
- Soca (CMA - Caribbean Music Association)
- Static Sound Systems (BASS - British Association of Sound Systems)
- Masquerade (NHMBA - Notting Hill Mas Bands Association)
- Steelpan (BAS - British Association of Steelbands)

This year's Children's Day parade will be on Sunday 24 August 2008. The Adult's Day parade will be on Monday 25 Aug 2008.

~~~

In 2007 the carnival theme was Set All Free, marking the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the UK and also the need to combat modern forms of slavery throughout the world. The timetable for the carnival and related events was as follows:

London Calypso Tent & Calypso Monarch Finals
- Fri 27 Jul, Fri 3 Aug, Fri 10 Aug, Fri 17 Aug, Thu 23 Aug & Fri 24 Aug (from 7pm). Traditional calypso music and dance performances at Yaa Asantewaa Arts and Community Centre, 1 Chippenham Mews, Maida Vale, London W9 2AN (nearest Tube: Westbourne Park; map).

Grand Carnival Costume Splash
- Sat 18 Aug & Sun 19 Aug: A show and competition of the costumes used during the carnival in Alexandra Palace (Alexandra Palace Way, Wood Green, London N22; nearest train: Alexandra Palace, nearest Tube: Wood Green; map). To buy tickets call 020 8365 2121. For details, see: http://www.alexandrapalace.com/grandcarnivalsplash.htm

National Panorama Championship
- Sat 25 Aug: From 5-9:30pm there will be a UK steel band competition between 9 UK bands close to Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park (nearest Tube: Marble Arch; map).

The Parade of the Bands [the main event]
- Sun 26 Aug (11am-7pm): Children's Day (parade by children in costumes)
- Mon 27 Aug (11am-9pm): Adult's Day. The main procession. There will also be sound systems in the roads close to the procession route.
Processions start on Great Western Road, after which they follow a loop along Chepstow Road, Westbourne Grove and Ladbroke Grove (map).
Note that the nearest Tube stations may be shut for safety reasons, and bus routes will be changed during the carnival.

The photographs below were taken at the Notting Hill Carnival in August 2003. They are grouped into sections, each of which represents a theme.

SPECTATORS & PARTICIPANTS
	Spectators are of many different colours!	Colourul graffiti murals for the carnival

Participants arrive and get ready ...

... supported by floats & coaches

Large crowds gather for the event

DANCING

MUSIC

ANIMALS & INSECTS

FIRE AND ICE

CHILDREN

COLOUR

LOVE & LAUGHTER

FURTHER INFORMATION

For more information about the Notting Hill Carnival, see these links:
Notting Hill Carnival Ltd: http://www.nottinghillcarnival.biz
BBC London: http://www.bbc.co.uk/carnival

LINKS

Useful links for people in the UK from the Caribbean: Links/Caribbean
Events in the UK in August: Ideas/Events/August
Carnaval del Pueblo: Ideas/Album/CarnavalDelPueblo

Home page: Home

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