Notting Hill Carnaval ... Riotless

The Carnival street festival, held each year in the neighborhood of Notting Hill, was started back in the 60's in an effort to improve race relations after riots had occurred the year before.  Today it is now touted as being the second largest street festival in the world after Rio's Carnival (though I'd like to see those stats checked, as the Taste in Chicago has got to be close).  This year they estimated a million people showed up (not sure if that counts the 6,500 police or not).

In a nutshell they board up the entire neighborhood and blare loud music, which is on any other day a super-chic, uber-trendy, cute, boutique-y, expensive area where Hugh Grant lives (well, most people think that anyway) and nobody speaks too loud.

To see the beloved Notting Hill in this state was jaw-dropping, and the speed at which the hoodlums grafftied it up quite impressive (though, with a nod to their proper English upbringing, I did  not see a drop of paint on anything but those boards).

Spread throughout there were random stages (or lets call them stacks of speakers bellowing bass that must register about a 4.0 on the Richter scale) with crowds of bootie shakers with seemingly little care about 'smart' fashion. The aroma was certainly the best thing about it ... the charcoal smoke from barbecuing jerk chicken wafted through the air.  Yummy.

All in all, I am glad I went and after two Red Stripes the music does get into your hips, the people watching is supreme ... however, once in a lifetime is definitely enough.

Small commentary on the riots ... the city was quite close to cancelling Carnaval this year in light of the riots earlier this month.  Fears of potential bombing left the entire fest without 'rubbage bins'.  I had not written about them, and will not write much now, but I did find it ironic as I looked up how this Carnaval got started to see the reference to the race riots in London back in the 60's.  All in all, it remains universal that people do not want to be poor or disrespected, we fear what is unknown and different, and in the end, if we stand up together and do not succumb we can all have a good time and take back our peace.