Beauty Fashion Food: The Nottinghill Carnival 2013

Having had the "Notting Hill Carnival" experience of yesteryear, I decided to re-acquaint myself with Carnival this year. I have had fond memories of the Rio, Jamaican, Rotterdam and Trinidad carnivals. The latter, to me, by far the most impressive in every respect. What I do know is that with my new found lease on life this year, I eagerly plan to carnival at Mardi Gras and Trinidad again with great anticipation.

There is a whole new genre of Carnival, and I eagerly look forward to the newer carnivals, having experienced the more established ones. I am somewhat curious about the African carnivals.

My excitement to experience African carnivals is to experience the fusion of the Caribbean and Africa, both marinated and enriched with many cultures and many years of history.

I cannot do justice to the more intricate history of carnival on this blog, so I have attached a link that explains all.

The Nottinghill Carnival history

Put aside (if you can) the crime, Notting Hill Carnival has become a police state heavy scented with cannabis; deafening and noise-polluted with steel pan drums and soca floats with booming sound systems. Let's not forget to mention the eye sores of boarded shops, necessary though with all the anti social going ons.

What you can never escape from Carnival, is how multicultural the event is. Yes I do believe it promotes multiculturism and that I enjoy.

Back to carnival.

With its one million visitors, I find my movements restricted, my limbs dulled to a very slow walking pace. I experience sensory overload from an intoxicating mix of sun, sweat, smoky beef and chicken bbq fumes, machetes decapitating coconuts oozing with coconut water, charcoal fumes, heavy undulating beats, floats adorned with semi clad male and female dancers.

No words really can describe carnival. I so hope the pictures do.The vibrancy, the effort invested in designing gowns, and not least the choreography and dance.