Enjoying Notting Hill Carnival

[upsidedownwalrus]

It might be the 'children's day'/'wusses day', but I've always had a much better time on the Sunday. Nowhere near as overcrowded, you can just float about, have a few beers, enjoy yourself, and make it onto a tube home easily.

I've always found the Monday a bit hellish to be honest.

Plus you get Monday to recover.

 

[districtline]

there were too many murders the year i went. it was my first week in london and i lived in kensal rise which was mobbed by all the festival goers and a huge gang of black youths robbed our local store to which the staff responded by bringing out the baseball bats.

i like this city, i thought.

 

[Rollem]

It might be the 'children's day'/'wusses day', but I've always had a much better time on the Sunday. Nowhere near as overcrowded, you can just float about, have a few beers, enjoy yourself, and make it onto a tube home easily.

I've always found the Monday a bit hellish to be honest.

monday's suited me when i was a young teenager, was never a hassle getting home as i could walk....but then they started to piss me off. too crowded. too much attitude and too many shootings

so this year, after many years away, i am going on kiddies / wusses day, and really looking forward to it. hope the kiddie i am taking enjoys it!

 

[chegrimandi]

go on sunday, take loads of beers, don't bother with the parade and find a fat soundsystem playing the tunes you like (jungle or dub for me) on the outskirts and you should have a top time....

I've been about 4 times and enjoyed it every time......

 

[rutabowa]

it's great. I'm going to go on Monday aftrenoon, get off WEstbourne Park Tube and head to channel 1 for a bit then walk (slowly!) towards Aba Shanti, catching whatever's on the way... then last year i found a secret silverlink station near there that wasn't on the carnival map, no problems getting back. I don't take beer with me, it's a hassle to carry and there's about 1000 people selling it for not TOO rip off (ie cheaper than in a club!). And I will go on my own, i don't like compromising where i want to wander. DON'T try and meet up with people once yr there, you'll waste most of the day. i've never seen any trouble, if u stay by a crowded sound system (which is after all the point) then u can't go far wrong. if yuo don't mind crowds and like reggae it's pretty much heaven, you just wander round in a happy daze.

 

[magic.d]

been at the carnival for the last ten years and never got in any serious trouble, but i took me some time to know where to go and what places should be avoided. and i've got the feeling the number of people attending the carnival declined over the last 2 or 3 years, so it's less hassle.

the best thing is going early to see the soundsystems around "all saints road / portobello road -area" like jah observer, gaz's rockin blues, cmc or even rampage (which should be avoided in the later hours especially on monday). you can catch a nice carnival feeling there and when more people arrive i find it more comfortable on the other side of the westway at the aba shanti sound (playing only on monday), sancho panza, rough but sweet.

monday seems to be the day with more trouble. when it gets dark more and more of these "hooded youth gangs" appear and even if they're not seekin directly for trouble the friendly atomsphere can change very fast.

- never go with too many mates. sooner or later you'll lose them so make arrangements for meetingplaces at fixed times in advance.

- bringing your own booze in disposable bags makes things cheaper but this is just an option.

- do not forget a lightweighted raincoat. even if it doesn't rain, it's better to sit on the raincoat than on tons of chickenbones.

 

[trevbus]

I've been going for years and it took a few to start to enjoy it.

I hate crowds attitude etc so for me the tried and teasted method is as follows;

Get the train to Kensal Green (or walk along the canal from Warick Avenue), walk to Middle Row which is where Sancho Panza always are. If you don't enjoy the Tech House thing or the police spotters in the building behind make you nervous, you can pop round the corner to Good Times.
We never venture further than these two stages....you don't see much of the actual carnival procession, but who cares.
Take your sunglasses and a big smile and forget about the attiude of the dick heads around, you can always find loads of other people there who are up for a good time. If you don't belive me just go near the front of the 2 stages mentioned above.

Happy carnival.

 

[Fidel]

Arrgh you lucky bastards!!!

Having emmigrated I wont be able to go this year, maybe next! Shits on Rio carnival for me!

Saturday warm up, then starting to get high again Sunday, blitzing Sunday night, Monday flying again!

Have fun carnival noshers 3 nights and 2 days of sloshing ahead lucky bastards!!!

 

[DJWrongspeed]

i hated it when i went-pushed and shoved, was stoned, paranoid and claustrophic, lost all my mates and couldn't find tube open then got lost looking for one. And had phone nicked. have fun!

yeah but come on it's fuckin fantastic event , just needs a bit of exploring, don't bring yer mobile obviously and get pack'a'stellas........

 

[liberty]

I may choose today due to the dog... There's alway the canal to go down if things are a bit manic

 

[liberty]

Im going on the Sunday, I was going to take my rather large Nikon digital camera to take some photos, but reading this Im not so sure! Am I really likely to get mugged and have it stolen, or is just pickpockets I need to watch out for?

I've never had my camera nicked but it depends how sure you want to be

 

[JWH]

The crime rate is much lower than glasto for example, many more police actually.

Who would ever bother reporting a crime at NHC?

 

[Mikey77]

Why is everyone on about the attitudes?? I don't go because the noise and crowds aren't for me, but I went when I was a kid and didn't see too many attitudes although I wasn't there for too long.

 

[William of Walworth]

Never had any problems myself. It's always fascinating how one persons hell is another's heaven!

Yep no problems over any of the ten years (on the trot! ) that I went(1991-2001) but I guess a lot of that came from checking the available information, being reasonably sorted about London life aand crowds anyway, and a bit of good luck. I soon worked out how to avoid the worst crushes.

The crime rate is much lower than glasto for example, many more police actually.

I agree there's a lot of Police, but as far as the Carnival/Glasto comparison is concerned, I think you might be out of date. There's been a very low crime rate at Glasto since 2002.

Both events are pretty safe nowadays I think.

 

[William of Walworth]

it's great. I'm going to go on Monday aftrenoon, get off WEstbourne Park Tube and head to channel 1 for a bit then walk (slowly!) towards Aba Shanti, catching whatever's on the way... then last year i found a secret silverlink station near there that wasn't on the carnival map, no problems getting back. I don't take beer with me, it's a hassle to carry and there's about 1000 people selling it for not TOO rip off (ie cheaper than in a club!). And I will go on my own, i don't like compromising where i want to wander. DON'T try and meet up with people once yr there, you'll waste most of the day. i've never seen any trouble, if u stay by a crowded sound system (which is after all the point) then u can't go far wrong. if yuo don't mind crowds and like reggae it's pretty much heaven, you just wander round in a happy daze.

This all makes good sense!

I'm very tempted to revisit for Monday's shenanigans tomorrow (not having been since 2001) but we've had a crazy weekend (just back from Wales where the beer, etc. flowed freely) and I'm not completely decided yet ....

It's going to be hot, or at least pleasant, tomorrow I think, so local inertia may win. But enjoy!! Aba Shanti in particular is awesome, and if you happen by Mikey Dread's Sound System (Studio One) or Jah Observer's, then they're pretty impresive too, but I would say that as I'm a dub and roots head ...

 

[hiccup]

Just got back, via a couple of pubs. Had an excellent day. Bit of a dance at all the soundsystems I wanted to, ate far too much tasty carribean food, drank far far too much lager and cheap whiskey, and a fair bit of pollen and skunk. Feeling...pretty wrecked actually, but probably heading back tomorrow

 

[Random One]

i went today too...was my first time and i had an awesome day. Music was cool, the food smelt wicked, the weather was really good and there was a good vibe. Hung out watching the parade which was cool but i always thought that it was more consistent than it was-seemed to be a lot of gaps in between each float-bt maybe thats just how it is. Took a fuck load of photos...and never had my camera nicked-was all good fun

 

[DrRingDing]

pissed

top cats were ace

the bloke that pretended to be gay but then cvracked onto my mrs, boo hiss1

VERY VERY DRUNK

 

[hiccup]

pissed

top cats were ace

the bloke that pretended to be gay but then cvracked onto my mrs, boo hiss1

VERY VERY DRUNK

*wild applause*

 

[hiccup]

me photeees:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigsky/sets/838732/

 

[Fidel]

me photeees:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigsky/sets/838732/

Ha see you got a picture of park oposite the Pelican ! More photos of today please!

 

[girasol]

Can't see the pics... I hate flickr! It's my new pet hate!

Had a lovely time at the carnival, never been before on a Sunday, it's just slightly less busy and chaotic than Monday! We were sat at the square (near the CMC sound system) after it was all finished, and a bunch of teenagers started having a fight, everyone in the square started booing.

Then the fight finished, everyone who was fighting left, but one of the boys came back and grabbed a bottle... He started walking around with this huge vodca bottle and everyone in the square (there were about 300 people in there) started booing and screaming 'DROP THE BOTTLE'. He looked a bit surprised and confused and just stood there staring at everyone. He then just walked off, luckily there were some police around and they had a chat with him. It was a very cinematographic moment!

We also stayed at Aba Shanty for a bit, their sound system was so loud that when I walked past the speakers my hairs stood on end, and poor Mouse was shaking with the noise.

 

[Blagsta]

Wandered around for 15 minutes, couldn't be arsed with the crowds. Went to the pub instead.

 

[tastebud]

yeah. it was a great day!
was cool to find some reggae & drum n bass. not too busy either.
and yeah, the fight (as described by iemanja) was really funny.
funny because of the immediate crowd participation.
was really cool that the whole field started booing madly until the guy dropped the bottle and scarpered.
wouldn't have been funny had it got nasty though.

i had a very pleasant day!
the trick is to avoid the crowds as much as you can.

 

[lizzieloo]

Is it possible?

I've been four years running and absolutely hated it and this year I'm taking Japanese friends of mine.

Just wondering if anyone has ever had a good experience?

It not, a list of local pubs in the area
PLEASE

I can't understand this kind of thing, if you don't like it don't go.

Seems fairly simple to me.

 

[Numbers]

Been 3 times and hated it every time. Over crowded and lots of people displaying threatening behaviour. Never again

this kind of think makes me laugh from the floorboards of me soul. I don't know what people expect at the biggest free cwrnival/festival in Europe... order and co-ordination, ffs get a grip. And as for people displaying threatening behaviour... ffs (again) what Carnival do some of you people go to... I've missed 3 in 16 years and have yet to see anything that would put me off going.

You people need to develop a thicker skin, ffs.

Carnival rocks... go to the Good Times bus and tell me you aren't having a good time.

Don't go in future. ffs.

ffs.

ps: ffs some of you meek freaks

 

[rutabowa]

it was great for me, again. Channel 1, Jah Observer, Gladdy Wax, Aba Shanti... everyone that i saw was all smiling at each other, everyone! Like they were all ridiculously happy. The only bad thing was it took me 3 hours to find somewhere selling special brew, but that possibly saved me too. I feel sad now it's over though.

 

[hiccup]

it was great for me, again. Channel 1, Jah Observer, Gladdy Wax, Aba Shanti... everyone that i saw was all smiling at each other, everyone! Like they were all ridiculously happy. The only bad thing was it took me 3 hours to find somewhere selling special brew, but that possibly saved me too. I feel sad now it's over though.

We spent a while at Gladdy Wax, excellent tunes there

 

[LDR]

I can't understand this kind of thing, if you don't like it don't go.

Seems fairly simple to me.

I loved the first couple I went to but the last few I didn't enjoy at all and I've not been back for the last three or four years.

I'm not sure if it's due to me changing or the festival changing. Probably a bit of both.

 

[tastebud]

i guess if you're traipsing around in huge crowds for hours it isn't much fun, but once you've been a couple of times, you find out where the cool (and less busy) areas are, and it's marvelous!