Notting Hill Carnival
Notting Hill
It started off in 1964 as a street festival organised by the West Indian community in Notting Hill and now it’s celebrated every August bank holiday. It’s become a huge Caribbean carnival, which attracts over a million Londoners and tourists and, after Rio, is the largest street festival in the world. Traditionally steel bands, calypso and soca music were the sounds of the carnival. But now it’s more mixed with reggae, ska, drum & bass, hip-hop, and house music from static sound systems and live stages featuring local bands and international artists. There are dozens of West Indian food stalls cooking jerk chicken and rice and peas. Levi Roots’ ‘Reggae Reggae’ Sauce is made to his grandmother’s secret recipe and has been a Carnival success for years, and has now gone global since his appearance on the TV show, Dragons’ Den.
Latimer Road, Notting Hill Gate or Westbourne Park tube