Notting Hill Carnival 2019

Notting Hill Carnival is one of the most anticipated events in the UK. Every year, the streets of London come alive with Caribbean culture and flavor. Over the course of two days, people unite and celebrate with soca music, floats, colorful costumes and performances.

The Carnival attracts over one million people making this the largest street party in the UK ever. The festival is packed with excitement and activities to keep you, and your family, busy. The best part about this carnival is that it caters to all ages –with Sunday designated to family oriented fun with the children.

What is Notting Hill Carnival’s History?

Notting Hill Carnival has roots as far back as 1959. In the 1950’s thousands of migrant workers from Trinidad, Barbados and other Caribbean islands travelled to the UK. However, social and racial tensions started to rise between the white and black community.

In 1959 political activist, Claudia Jones along with others organized the first event inside St Pancras Town Hall. They held this event to break racial tensions and celebrate Caribbean identity, culture, tradition and freedom throughout London.

Since then the event was took outdoors and gained strong influences from Trinidad Carnival. Costume designers such as Peter Minshall played an integral part in designing costumes in the early stages.

Over the years, the festival has evolved into what you see today. The carnival that started over 50 years ago continues to grow in popularity. It is one carnival that you should not miss under any circumstances.

Notting Hill Carnival 2019 Dates

Notting Hill Carnival will take place from August 24th-26th in 2019. On Saturday the 24th the carnival will start at 9 am and finish around 10 pm. There will be a whole day of activities on the Sunday and is recommended for the family. Monday the 26th will be the grand finale.

The festival is large and expands throughout Notting Hill. If you don’t know where to go, you should start your exploration from the Great Western Road –where the carnival starts every year. From there it moves to Chepstow Road from where it makes it way to Westbourne Grove and Ladbroke Grove.

photo credit goes to glodi miessi

Notting Hill Carnival 2019 Events

Panorama

Events will start on Saturday with Panorama, which will be in the Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance in Bosworth Road. Panorama will have steel bands performing and a steel band music competition. After all the bands have performed, a winner is crowned.

J’ouvert Notting Hill Carnival

On Sunday in the early hours of the morning, J’ouvert takes off. J’ouvert called dutty mas or dirty carnival is a street party where people party covered in paint, powder and chocolate. J’ouvert is usually between the hours of 6 am – 9am.

Children’s Carnival

Later the Sunday is the children’s parade and is usually the lighter of the days with fewer crowds. This usually starts around 10 am and involves the children who dress in costumes dancing in the streets. The purpose of this is to introduce the carnival to the younger audience and give them a chance to participate.

Masquerade Bands Carnival Monday

The season finale is Monday when all the bands, floats, music trucks hit the streets. This is when you will see the most beautiful costumes from the best bands on the route. After the parade, the bands are judged and prizes are given for the best costumes and different categories.

Perhaps the best part about the Notting Hill Carnival is that most activities and events are free. The main money you have to spend is if you choose to play mas with the bands.

Therefore, you have to register with a band and purchase a costume. Most of the costs are reasonable for the things provided with the costumes. The things included are drinks, food, security and a set of other benefits. You can check out some of the bands you can register with below.

Photo Credit goes to LongJoy Photography

Notting Hill Carnival Bands

The bands are the heartbeat and soul of the parades. There are a variety of bands to choose from that will be on the road for the parade. Some of which will be posted on our site.

You can check out the prices, packages and costumes in the links below. Check through the list to see which is best for your budget.

J’ouvert Bands

If you are looking to register with a J’ouvert band, I have listed a couple below. I will update the list as I get new information.

I would advise you check out the bands and register early to secure your spot. Costumes tend to sell out fast.

Sound Systems

What surprised me about Notting Hill Carnival is the popularity of sound systems. Those who want to take part in the carnival but do not want to be in a band or reveling can enjoy the sound systems.

They have been a staple of the carnival for years. There are many popular sound systems such as Virgo International, Channel One Sound-System and Latin Rave Street Jam.

Many of these specialize in reggae music however; you will hear house music, samba and a variety of genres.

The Food at Notting Hill Carnival

Since the carnival is a celebration of Caribbean culture, you can expect to find Caribbean food at Notting Hill. You will find many dishes from all around the Caribbean. Dishes such as jerk chicken, curry goat, rotis, rum and foods from the different Caribbean islands.

You will be doing yourself a dis-service if you do not purchase some of the food on sale at the various stalls.

During the carnival itself a lot of places are shut down so you will have to purchase food from the stalls. However, after the carnival and you want to get some authentic Caribbean food you can check out these two places.

White Men Can’t Jerk – The name alone is hilarious but the food is great. You can get Jerk Chicken Burgers, Jerk Pulled Pork Burgers, Salt Fish Fritters (which are similar to Bajan fishcakes) and many more foods.
Rudie’s Jerk Shack – You can get curry goat, jerk chicken, ackee and salt fish, beef and chicken patties and the list goes on.

Where should you stay?

We have established Notting Hill carnival is one of the best carnivals. However, when it comes to accommodations, many are discouraged because looking for the best place is harder than it seems.

As the capital of UK, London is one city that has many hotels and apartments. They vary in price, size and quality. You can opt to stay in a 4-5 start hotel like Hyde Park Suits or the So West Luxury Apartments that will promise you the best hotel experience. However, you can even opt for something more budget friendly like a bed and breakfast –perhaps the Bluebells Hotel.

Some other hotels you can stay at are

The Premier Notting Hill
Blue Bells Hotel
The Abbey Court Notting Hill
Palace Court Hotel
Pembridge Palace Hotel

The point of the stay is to have a base camp where you can safely store all your belonging and rest during the nights –if you wish. Other times you will be out on the street, taking part in the celebration of various events.

So try to pick hotels that are close to the carnival. Leave the worries of accommodation aside since there are plenty of options all throughout London. Just immerse yourself in the festivities and celebration that Notting Hill Carnival extends to you.

Well I expect another great year of carnival. I hope this info was helpful in making your planning easier this year. As time passes and I get more info I will post some of the fetes for the season.

A Complete Guide to Notting Hill Carnival