At London's Notting Hill Carnival, a street festival unlike any other

The Notting Hill Carnival is one of the largest street festivals in the world and is viewed as a significant calendar event for Black British culture in London, with 1-2 million people attending over the course of the two-day event. The tradition began in 1966, and has been turning the streets of London into every shade of the rainbow for over 50 years now. A West Indian and Caribbean community festival, the Notting Hill Carnival combines elements of carnival, reggae and calypso, along with all kinds of traditional food and drink. Music forms the backbone of the festival; this year, 37 sound systems simultaneously exploded with different sounds from all over the Caribbean in a few densely-packed narrow London streets. The parade winds its way around these streets, and is a feast of colour and feathers, steel bands and samba dancing, with spectators lining the parade route to admire the procession, and dance along with it. Preparations for the Carnival take months, and for the people involved, they are the embodiment of their genuine passion for this age-old tradition. Each headpiece and costume is lovingly made by hand in garages, workshops and living rooms across London and beyond. And it is the result of all their hard work that brings the colour, sparkle and a sense of wonder to the streets of London for the spectators. Despite some rain last Sunday (26 August 2018), this year’s parade most definitely did not disappoint! There were feathers, rhinestones, ribbons, glitter, dancing, drumming, jumping, cooking, drinking, eating — and most importantly, sound. Reggae, soca, hip-hop, roots, dub, dance hall, R&B, samba, grime, drum and bass, ragga, jungle, dubstep, garage, soul, house and more were all represented on full volume on the usually quiet streets of Notting Hill, Westbourne Park and Ladbroke Grove.

The Notting Hill Carnival is one of the largest street festivals in the world

Due to the sound curfew, which meant that all sound systems must be shut down by 7 pm to give the local residents some peace before returning to work the next day, Carnival goers knew they only had seven hours in which to sample as much of the music as they could. So, armed with printed maps or using the Carnival app on their smartphones, they wandered the streets from one sound system to the next to maximise their Carnival experience, stopping to sample the obligatory jerk chicken along the way. As for refreshing drinks after all that dancing, the two most popular options for those who didn’t bring their own supplies of cognac were Red Stripe Jamaican beer or tropical rum-based cocktails, often served in fresh, carved pineapples. Sadly, over the last decade, street crime (in particular, knife use and drug-related incidents) has been taking away the media focal point of this historic event. This year, there was a marked increase in police numbers – with 7,000 members of the police force deployed on Monday and 6,100 on Sunday – to prevent, avoid, or if need be quickly deal with crime to allow everyone else to enjoy the Carnival to the fullest, without fear or threat of violence. Additionally, newly-added metal detecting ‘knife arches’ were installed in key positions to help catch any potential weapons before they had a chance to enter the Carnival. In total, 370 arrests were made this year, 69 of them weapon-related and 159 drug related, according to the police. Despite the very serious nature of their presence at the Carnival, however, most of the policemen and women were in good spirits, and many played the role of helpful guides for the attendees looking for the best way to get from A to B. *** The Carnival turns the London streets into a rainbow of dancing feathers. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] Some groups were preceded by acrobats opening the show by flying through the air. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the sparkliest of them all? [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] Sunday is a family day where the children’s parade shows off what the kids can do — like this samba band, who played in perfect unison as they marched. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] Intricate floats are created by the participants for the annual parade. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] [Below, left] Parents protect their childrens’ ears from the onslaught of the sound systems in the area. [Right] The Carnival is a chance for the attendees to show off their individual style, like this all-girl gang, taking a break on one the doorstep of a house in Notting Hill. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] The parade included many choreographed routines as it wound its way through the streets. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] [Below, left] The prize for the tallest headdress might well have gone to this man! [Right] A clever, skilled, and visually striking ensemble of stilt walkers, highlighting UK immigration issues. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] A bar prepares for the onslaught of customers demanding tropical drinks to cool down after all the walking and dancing. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] A chef preparing traditional Jamaican jerk chicken, which must be the most popular dish at the Carnival. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] The traditional Mexican festival of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) gets represented here. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] A performer dances amid a whirl of flying ribbons. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] A huge crowd dances at the Chanel One soundsystem, which has had a continuous 30-year presence at the Notting Hill Carnival. [imgcenter]

[/imgcenter] Polina Schapova is a Delhi-based Russian-British photographer. Follow her work on  Instagram or on her  website