Party-time in Notting Hill

Dressed to thrill: Notting Hill Carnival is in its 36th year

LONDON -- For 362 days of the year Notting Hill is a sedate corner of West London, all leafy streets, stucco-fronted villas and trendy shops.

For the other three, however, it is the scene of what organisers insist is the biggest carnival in the world.

Two million people descend on the area to eat, drink, dance and party, in the process devouring 1.5 tons of chicken and 16,000 coconuts, drinking 22,000 litres of rum, and purchasing (and blowing) 80,000 whistles.

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"We're expecting 2.2 million people this year," says carnival spokeswoman Steph Harwood. "So far as I know the Olympics are the only other event in the world that can boast similar daily attendance figures."

The carnival, which takes place this weekend, will transform an area roughly four miles square into a kaleidoscope of sound and colour and smell.

The fun kicks off on Saturday night with Panorama - the British steel band championship, and continues throughout Sunday and Monday with music, dancing, parades and general festivity. There will be 50 sound systems, 210 DJs and hundreds of make-shift food and drink stalls selling everything from goat stew to rum cocktails.

For both full days of Notting Hill, the procession of 130 decorated floats and 75 brightly-costumed 'mas' bands parading around a three-mile circuit, cheered on by tens of thousands of spectators, is the star attraction,

"It's a wonderful example of the community and the authorities working together to create something really special," says Harwood. "The atmosphere is amazing; all sorts of different people and cultures coming together in peace and harmony and enjoyment."

"It's a wonderful example of the community and the authorities working together to create something really special," says Harwood. "The atmosphere is amazing; all sorts of different people and cultures coming together in peace and harmony and enjoyment."

Party mood: The processession is at the heart of the carnival

The carnival was first held in 1964, when Notting Hill was a run-down area populated mainly by Caribbean immigrants.

Modelled on the annual Trinidad carnival, it was a way of bringing local people together and putting on a united front against racism. It attracted just a few hundred people and a couple of steel bands.

Since then both the area and the event have been transformed. Notting Hill is now one of London's most exclusive enclaves, the carnival a logistical behemoth that takes a year to plan and £500,000 to put on.

Despite its dramatic growth, however, the spirit of the event remains true to what it was in the beginning.

"The ethos is about expressing yourself, whatever your background or ethnic origin," comments Harwood. "The carnival might be bigger, but its spirit hasn't changed."

Pepe Francis agrees. Pepe, 57, is the manager of Ebony Steel Band -- Panorama champions for the last nine years in succession -- and a veteran of 30 carnivals.

"It's a fantastic atmosphere," he says. "I've seen a lot of changes over the years, but it's still a really special event. It's all about tradition and culture. Life wouldn't be worth living without it."

Nearly 8,000 police will be on the streets to maintain order, although the carnival is invariably good-natured and virtually crime-free.

Music legend Billy Ocean: Regular carnival appearences

"People come here to enjoy themselves and have fun, not cause trouble," says Harwood.

Most of the music is of Caribbean origin, with some of the biggest names in soca, reggae and calypso due to appear at this year's carnival. Chart-topping New York hip-hop combo De La Soul will be performing, as will pop legend Billy Ocean, who each year plays with Ebony Steel Band.

In a sense, however, everyone at the carnival is a performer. As the carnival motto put is: "Every spectator is a participant."

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