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Carnival 2001
Labroke Grove is the heart of the spectacular Notting Hill Carnival, held each August Bank Holiday since 1966. This holiday always falls on the last weekend of August with Sunday and Monday being the major carnival days. The festivities started as a local affair set up by the West Indian immigrants of the area and has become a full-blooded Caribbean carnival, attracting millions of people from all around the world. There are scores of massive 'sound systems', many spectacular floats and steel drum bands additionally, to keep you well fed, there are hundreds of stalls lining the streets of the area selling all sorts of food and drink including Caribbean specialities.
The news leading up to and after Carnival isn't always positive. This year's Carnival has been plagued with fears of overcrowding. These concerns have caused the three main stages scheduled, featuring Radio 1, MTV and Damon Albarn's band, Gorillaz, to cancel. However the Carnival Trust have announced that the 600 stewards have all been found in order to anticipate the over 2 million people expected. Last year's Carnival saw two fatalities and 89 arrests for mostly public order and drugs offences. But with over 2 million people crammed into the streets of Notting Hill it is no wonder there are some problems. Knowing the stewards for Carnival 2001 have all been found and with the huge police presence (which is often criticised too) most people should feel pretty safe.
So if you're a seasoned Carnival goer check out our line-up lists to see what's changed this year and for all you Carnival virgins: read and learn..
Here you will find everything you need to know from a carnival line up, history, news, downloads, interviews and links.
If there is anything we have missed please contact us asap:
pickles@myvillage.co.uk
The Notting Hill Carnival has been taking place in London, on the last weekend in August, for the past thirty seven years.
The arrival of Trinidadians in Great Britain, remembering their great Carnivals back home, provided the spark which ignited Notting Hill Carnival. From a small procession through the streets with just a few people in costume and carrying steel drums in the 1960s, has evolved a huge multi-cultural arts festival, attended by up to two million people. It is a great tourist attraction that brings life to London during the month of August.
DISCIPLINES OF CARNIVAL
The five disciplines of Carnival are: Mas' from (costume, Masquerade), Steelband, Calypso (political, social and satirical commentary, set to music), Soca (the traditional music of Carnival, a fusion of Soul and Calypso) and Static Sound Systems all play their part on the two days of Carnival-on-the-Road, creating what is the climax to a month of pre-Carnival activities such as dances, sound and soca jams, costume galas, steel band competitions, etc.
In recent years the Notting Hill Carnival has grown and grown, reflecting the multicultural nature of our society, with groups participating from Afghanistan, Kurdistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Bulgaria, Russia, Brazil and many other places as well as from all parts of the Caribbean, Africa, Central and South America and the United Kingdom. Notting Hill Carnival operates an all inclusive policy encouraging artists to celebrate their cultural traditions through art, dance and music media with which they feel most comfortable.
In addition to the procession of costumes, soca and steel bands, which wend their way over a route of some three miles, the area plays host to 45 licensed Static Sound Systems, each playing their own selection of soca, reggae, jazz, soul, hip-hop and funk music, house, garage. This is the aspect of Carnival that appeals to the youths and is evolving at an unpredictable pace with innovative styles and forms of music.
There are hundreds of licensed street stalls selling exotic foods from all corners of the globe as well as arts and crafts. Carnival aims to celebrate the cultural heritage of its founders and at the same time be open enough to take on board evolving contemporary culture with its multiracial, multicultural trends.
CONTEMPORARY CARNIVAL
In addition to the traditional aspects of Carnival, there are also three live stages within the Carnival area, featuring local bands, top international artistes, and music from all around the world. These stages play from 12 noon to 7pm on both of the two days. Artistes that have appeared at these stages have included Eddie Grant, the Mighty Sparrow, Arrow, Freddie MeGregor, Burning Spear, Jamiroquai, Wyclef Jean, Amaponda, Courtney Pine amongst others.
This year the stages have so far been franchised to BBC Radio One and South Africa Square which will be hosting its own act's from South Africa as well as local acts. All of this is FREE!
THE NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL is the largest arts festival in Europe and in Carnival terms is second only to Rio. It's fantastic, it's vibrant, it's full of life, it's for everyone and it is FREE! DON'T MISS IT!
HISTORY
This great festival began initially from the energies of black immigrants from the Caribbean, in particular, Trinidad, where the Carnival tradition is very strong, and from people living locally, who dreamed of creating a festival to bring together the people of Notting Hill, most of whom were facing racism, lack of working opportunities and poor housing conditions resulting in a general suppression of good self-esteem..
There had been racial tensions in the late 50s and black people were subjected to constant pressures. Dances were organised in halls in North London, where black people could come together freely. At the same time steel band music was being played each Sunday at the Colherene Pub in Earls Court by Trinidadians who had immigrated to this country. From this evolved the idea of inviting the steelband to take part in a street festival in Notting Hill, to encourage people, mainly children, both black and white, to come onto the streets and express themselves socially as well as artistically. This first took place in 1964 and was a huge success.
Once the black people of Notting Hill heard the first tunes of the steelband, they immediately came out onto the streets expressing themselves in appreciation of the music and togetherness and reminiscing about the Carnivals back home. The opportunity to dance and perform in the streets of London free of all pressures was not to be missed.
FROM TRINIDAD TO LONDON
In Trinidad, during the days of slavery, black people (slaves) were forbidden to play musical instruments and wear costumes, apart from when the traditional imported European Carnival took place, six weeks before Easter. On those occasions their participation was limited to providing entertainment for their masters.
It was also known that slaves wore forbidden to be in the streets after dark unless they were accompanying their masters. When the Laws were repealed and freedom from slavery was announced in 1833, the slaves took to the streets in song and dance, indulging in their culture and using their artistic skills to mimic their masters and pour scorn on the system that had had them enslaved for so long.
Consequently, slaves would dress like their masters, powder their faces to look pale like their masters or make masks to resemble their masters, distorting images and features if they regarded their masters as particularly evil or ridiculous.
These celebrations of freedom provided the only opportunity for black people to express their feelings about their slave masters and they quickly developed the art of costume making, creating fantastic ensembles which satirised their situation as Africans, transported to the Caribbean top become slaves. In Trinidad the tradition continued, going from strength to strength, as people from all over the island began to take part and associate themselves with Carnival, The skills of costume making, steel drumming and calypso became what is today, a huge festival of arts and culture, of which Trinidadians everywhere are justifiably proud, drawing on all aspects of their cultural heritage from Africa and Europe.
The Notting Hill Carnival welcomes tourists and other visitors and has as its motto "EVERY SPECTATOR IS A PARTICIPANT - Carnival is for all who dare to participate" |
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