Notting Hill Carnival
Notting Hill Carnival happens once a year in the August Bank holiday (about the third week into August) and runs for two days, usually about 10am till 8pm but the times vary each year. The Sunday is supposedly the kid’s day but there are usually way more adults and it’s my preferred day as it isn’t so scary! Monday is the adult’s day and prepares yourself fully! There are two million people packed into a few small streets so a lot of the time there isn’t enough space to put your feet, there are crushes, pick pockets, fights and a lot of queuing, having said that there is also some fantastic music, dancing in the street, a huge variety of culture, loads of yummy food stalls, amazing costumes and a street parade.
It can be a brilliant day out, but it can also be absolute hell! Make sure you don’t carry any bags and have everything you need on your person, make sure you have cash – getting to an ATM is mission impossible, bring a carnival map even if you know the area as some streets are blocked off and then you get trapped because of all the stampedes of people trying to push through crowds, try to avoid roads like Ladbroke Grove as there are so many people in such a small space that its really scary because of all the pushing and shoving. I find it best to have a brief walk around and then find a spot where I like the music and stay there. Some of the music is part of the parade but there are various stages set up that don’t move, these are mainly around Westbourne Grove.
January 31st, 2008 at 9:02 am
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February 18th, 2008 at 9:27 am
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February 21st, 2008 at 9:30 am
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