Repeating Islands

The Notting Hill Carnival will take place August 30-31, 2009. Held each August Bank Holiday since 1966, the carnival is the largest festival celebration of its kind in Europe. Every year the streets of West London come alive, with the sounds and smells of the Caribbean in Europe’s biggest street festival.

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, the sounds of the traditional steel drum bands, scores of massive sound systems, twenty miles of vibrant colorful costumes, and hundreds of Caribbean food stalls (serving patties, curries, jerk chicken, rice and peas, fried plantain, and more) 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 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 carry continue partying at the many Notting Hill Carnival after parties.

For more information, see http://www.thenottinghillcarnival.com/