Notting Hill Carnival starts on streets of west London
The colourful Notting Hill Carnival has got underway on the streets of west London with hundreds of thousands of people expected to take part over the next two days
Parades featuring dancers in bright costumes began along the three-and-a-half mile route at 9:00BST this morning, while the event started following a customary paint, flour and egg fight.
The festival is Europe's biggest street carnival, and scores of colourful floats were also on show down the route, featuring more than 40 static sound systems, while Caribbean food stalls are also providing a taste of the West Indies.
A major policing operation is underway to ensure that the event passes off peacefully, costing in the region of £6 million.
"This weekend London will be filled with visitors from across the world eager to have some fun at the ultimate free street party. Our legendary Notting Hill Carnival highlights the richness of Caribbean culture and is the perfect summer celebration," said mayor of London Boris Johnson.
Chris Boothman, director of London Notting Hill Carnival, added that this weekend is the highlight of the year not only for the Caribbean community, but for the many visitors to London.
Having originally started out as a local festival for the Notting Hill community, the carnival has since gone on to attract millions of people from around the world who are keen to enjoy the costumes and traditional steel drum bands.
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Technorati
Email to a friend
Print version
Plain text