Despite the riots that took part in London a few weeks back, this year's Notting Hill Carnival is still going ahead as planned. Starting at 9am each day, Europe's largest street festival returns this August bank holiday weekend (Sunday 28th and Monday 29th August).
Both Gladdy Wax's and Gaz Mayall's sound systems will be out in full force, with legendary reggae singer Winston Francis performing live on Gaz's sound system, backed by an 11-piece band. Sadly, Duke Vin is unlikely to make an appearance this year though, as he has been unwell for some time.
In view of the riots and intelligence suggesting some gangs have planned trouble for the Carnival, extra safety precautions have been taken for this year's event. The Guardian reports that: "Scotland Yard will double the number of police officers on duty at the Notting Hill carnival to 20,000 – by far the biggest deployment in the event's 47-year history".
They also say: "Carnival organisers have decided the parade of floats will finish by 6.30pm, and the static sound systems by 7pm, earlier than usual."
Though it's wise to err on the side of caution, I feel we must not let troublemakers stop us from enjoying our city's greatest event. Carnival is a celebration of all that is great about London - in particular its multiculturalism.
To help you find your way around, Time Out have once again produced an excellent map of the Carnival area, showing the location of all the static sound systems as well as the parade route:
www.timeout.com/london/feature/1387/notting-hill-carnival-2011-r-soundsystems-map
Finally, the BBC's weather forecast is predicting a dry Sunday and Monday, with sunny spells, so here's to a great party! See you out on the streets!
It's been a frightening and painful time for London and the UK recently, but it looks like things are starting to get back to normal again now. I say it's time to start getting out again!