Every year in the last weekend of August, London residents glue on their peacock feathers, snap on their sequined bra tops, and take to the streets for the annual Notting Hill Carnival. The event is a celebration of Caribbean culture in drizzly Britain. Black immigrants, particularly those from Trinidad, started the festival in 1964 as a celebratory respite from the racism and other obstacles they faced as newcomers.
Six musical and performance genres make up the festival, the website explains. These include "mas," or masquerade; steel band; calypso, a political, social and satirical commentary set to music; soca, the traditional music of carnival, a fusion of soul and calypso; static sound systems; and samba.
The Children's Day parade will take place on Sunday, August 26, followed by the main carnival parade on Monday the 27th.
Related Stories:
· Notting Hill Carnival [Official Site]
· Hotels in London [HotelChatter]
[Photo: BBC]]]>