The Notting Hill Carnival
SUNDAY 26 & MONDAY 27 AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY 2012
HISTORY
The Notting Hill Carnival is the largest street festival in Europe and originated in 1964 as a way for Afro-Caribbean communities to celebrate their own cultures and traditions. Taking place every August Bank Holiday weekend in the streets of London W11, the Notting Hill Carnival is an amazing array of sounds, colourful sights and social solidarity
At the roots of the Notting Hill Carnival are the Caribbean carnivals of the early 19th century – a particularly strong tradition in Trinidad – which were all about celebrating the abolition of slavery and the slave trade. The very first carnival was an attempt to showcase the steel band musicians who played in the Earls Court of London every Weekend. When the bands paraded through the streets of Notting Hill, they drew black residents out on to the streets, reminding them of the Caribbean homes they had left behind.
In the days of abolition, there was a strong element of parody in the songs and dances Trinidadians performed. Having been forbidden to hold festivals of their own during the period of slavery, they now took full advantage of the relative new freedoms the ending of slavery brought them. Dressing up in costumes that mimicked the European fashions of their former masters, even whitening their faces with flour or wearing white masks, they established a tradition that continues in the costume-making of today's Notting Hill Carnival. The proper name for this aspect of the Carnival is Mas (derived from Masquerade)
How to get there
BY BUS
London Buses will operate additional buses to serve the Carnival. Buses, however, will not enter the Carnival area from the first bus on Sunday morning until the first bus on Tuesday morning.
To the south of the Carnival area buses will start from Notting Hill Gate and to the North of the Carnival area buses will start from the Prince of Wales in Harrow Road.
Full details of the bus route changes are contained in the special transport leaflet available from London Underground Stations.
Bus stops within or adjacent to the area will carry displays about diversions or disruptions. However, please:
• Allow extra time for your journey, as public transport will be well used;
• Remember night buses will also be affected – the N7, N18, N28, N31 and N52 will be diverted or disrupted owing to road closures in the Notting Hill Carnival area.
• Allow extra time for your journey, as public transport will be well used;
• Remember night buses will also be affected – the N7, N18, N28, N31 and N52 will be diverted or disrupted owing to road closures in the Notting Hill Carnival area.
BY TUBE
Ladbroke Grove: Station closed on Carnival Sunday and Carnival Monday
Latimer Road: On Carnival Sunday and Monday the station will close at 11.30pm.
Notting Hill Gate: There will be no interchange between the Central and District/Circle lines on either day. On Carnival Sunday and Monday the station will be exit only between 11am and 6pm. On Carnival Monday the Circle and District lines will not stop from 12noon to 7.30pm.
Royal Oak: On Carnival Sunday and Monday the station will be exit only between 11am and 6pm.
After 6pm the station will close and the Hammersmith and City line will not stop at this station.
Westbourne Park: On Carnival Sunday and Monday the station will be exit only between 11am and 6pm. The station will close at 11.30pm.
Bayswater: Open on Carnival Sunday and Monday.
Queensway: Open on Carnival Sunday and Monday.
Paddington: It may be advisable to use this station instead of Notting Hill Gate/Royal Oak as both of these stations will have diversions.
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MUSIC
Music is at the heart of Notting Hill Carnival, with traditional and contemporary sounds filling the air for miles around. Historically steel bands, Soca & Calypso Music have been at the heart of Carnival but in recent years these have been overtaken by the static sound systems playing anything from Reggae to R&B, Funk, House, Dub and much more.
Live stages also feature local bands, top international artists and sounds from around the world – Eddie Grant, Jamiroquai, Wyclef Jean, Courtney Pine and Burning Spear have been among the eclectic line up in previous years.
Find a list of Sound Systems that appear at Carnival here
Calypso
The Origin of calypso can be traced back to the arrival of the first enslaved Africans brought to work in the sugar plantations of Trinidad. Forbidden to talk to each other, and robbed of all links to family and home, the enslaved Africans began to sing. They used calypso, which can be traced back to West African Kaiso, as a means of communication and to mock the slave masters. These songs, usually led by one individual called a Griot, helped to unite the slaves. Calypso singing competitions, held annually at Carnival time, grew in popularity after the abolition of slavery by the British in the 1830s. The Griot later became known as the Chantuelle and today as the Calypsonian.
Soca
Like calypso, soca was used for both social commentary and risqué humor, though the initial wave of soca acts eschewed the former. Lord Shorty was disillusioned with the genre by the 1980s because soca was being used to express courtships and sexual interests. Like all things related to sexual freedom, it became embraced because of its ability to reflect what people were thinking and their desires in a society that was sexually repressed.
Soca music became an expression of sexuality through metaphors in the West Indies. Soon after, Shorty moved to the Piparo forest, converted to the Rastafari movement and changed his name to Ras Shorty I. There, he created a fusion of Reggae and gospel music called jamooin the late 1980s.In the 1990s and now the new century Soca has evolved into a blend of musical styles.
Steel Pan
Steel Bands: also known as "Pan" will be filling the streets of Notting Hill with their wonderful melodic sounds throughout the Bank Holiday weekend. Steelband came from the "Tambu Bamboo" band from Trinidad in the early 1030s. Trinidadians used to beat the bamboo and sing and by using some creative means, began to create different tones. This led to the use of oil drums and in a short space of time the Steelband was born.
Static Sound Systems
Static Sound Systems: over 40 sound systems positioned around the Carnival area provide the perfect setting for DJ's to strut their stuff. From Latin jazz, reggae and garage to hip hop and drum "n" bass. Samba Samba: Samba is a type of music and dance developed from the musical traditions of the enslaved Africans of Brazil. Samba originated in the north of Brazil and was radically developed in Rio at the turn of the century. Now you can hear the Samba beat in London and throughout the world.
