Notting Hill Carnival London, UK
LONDON, UK - Originally started as an offshoot of the Trinidad Carnival in 1964, the Notting Hill Carnival has become an internationally acclaimed event which remains true to its Caribbean roots. Over the last four decades, it’s matured into a melting pot of diverse cultural and musical genres that come together in modern West London streets. Today it is Europe’s largest street festival with hundreds of thousands of visitors. Held each August Bank Holiday since 1966, the Notting Hill Carnival is the largest celebration of its kind in Europe. Every year the streets of West London come alive, with the sounds and smells of Europe’s biggest street festival. Twenty miles of vibrant colorful costumes surround over 40 static sound systems, hundreds of Caribbean food stalls, over 40,000 volunteers and over 1million Notting Hill carnival revelers. Starting its life as a local festival set up by the West Indian community of the Notting Hill area, it has now become a full-blooded Caribbean carnival, attracting millions of visitors from all over the globe. With many astonishing floats, and the sounds of the traditional steel drum bands, scores of massive sound systems plus not forgetting the hundreds of stalls that line the streets of Notting Hill. The Notting Hill Carnival is arguably London’s most exciting annual event. The Notting Hill Carnival usually gets under way on the Saturday with the steel band competition. Sunday is Kids’ Day, when the costume prizes are awarded. On Bank Holiday Monday, the main parade takes place. It generally begins on Great Western Road, then winds its way along Chepstow Road, on to Westbourne Grove, and then Ladbroke Grove. In the evening, the floats leave the streets in procession, and people continue partying at the many Notting Hill Carnival after parties. This year’s Carnival is being held from August 24th to August 25th.