ONE million people are descending on west London for Notting Hill Carnival this weekend with revellers dancing through the streets.
The festival is a fixture in London’s cultural calendar and attracts similar numbers each year.
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It is one of the longest-running street parties in the UK and celebrates Caribbean culture with vividly costumed performers taking part in a parade through the streets with dancing and music.
The carnival is the biggest of its kind in Europe and is billed by organisers as “the greatest community-led event on the planet”, taking place every August bank holiday weekend.
On Saturday, performers competed in Notting Hill Carnival’s Panorama evening, which is the UK’s biggest steelband competition and sees five bands play a ten-minute composition from memory with no sheet music allowed.
Children’s Day is held on Sunday, featuring family-friendly activities and a parade, where youngsters in colourful costumes are encouraged to dance in the streets.
It is sometimes known as Family Day.
The Adults’ Parade is held on Monday, described by organisers as the climax of the carnival with “party vibes”.
Transport for London (TfL) urged people travelling to the carnival to plan their journeys in advance as it warned some stations could be much busier than usual.
The Labour Party described the event – which was first held in the 1960s – as a “vibrant celebration of Caribbean culture and black history through music, art and dance” in a social media post on Saturday.
The carnival began in 1964 as a way for Afro-Caribbean communities to celebrate their cultures and traditions.
Its roots lie in the Caribbean carnivals of the early 19th century.
Carnivals were a particularly strong tradition in Trinidad and celebrated the abolition of slavery and the slave trade.
Having been forbidden to hold festivals during periods of slavery Trinidadians dressed in costumes that mimicked European fashions.
The first Carnival held in west London aimed to showcase the steel band musicians who played in Earl’s Court.
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