Carnival carnage..

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NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL!

It's that time of year again: August Bank Holiday, we are expecting rain and it is time for Notting Hill Carnival. For me, when I am in London, it is must-do for a variety of reasons. Not only is it incredibly fun, but it also is a great reminder of how multicultural the city is and how much London supports and promotes different cultures, traditions and experiences.

For those of you that have never ventured to carnival, this is the year to do so. I'm sure that everyone says this every year, but considering the weather forecast actually looks promising for this bank holiday, it would be a big shame to miss it.

Although I have attended this event a few years running (last year spending both Sunday and Monday there), I actually realised I didn't know that much about it - the history or why it happens, apart from that is a mix of a "Caribbean Carnival" with much inspiration from Rio.

Notting Hill Carnival has been ongoing since 1966 and now has attendees of over 1million people from all parts of the country, all age groups, all races and all cultures. Much of the roots of the carnival is to bring together different cultural groups and celebrate on the streets of Notting Hill. However, there is a particular focus and tradition stemming from Trinidad and the very first carnival was intended to promote and showcase the steel band musicians who played in W11 every week, where the music gave relief in the days of abolition of the slave trade. 

Interestingly, the custom of costumes and masks stemmed from mimicking the European attire of former slave masters, and even wearing white masks at time. This has all developed to see some of the great costumes we see today at Carnival. 

If you do intend to go to Carnival, why not throw an after-party (the processions end by 7pm and then the streets begin to clear). Get everyone to dress up in colours, play some reggae beats and continue the fun. With the carnival spirit, mybluetasks is even offering a 10% discount especially for home cleaning for the after party (book by 27th August) - just type in BNK10 at the checkout to redeem it. 

Enjoy and party!

p.s. remember that if you do intend to meet someone at carnival, make sure you meet well away from where it is going on. It took me 1hour 15minutes last year to find someone, which was not fun, at all.