Notting Hill Carnival

Last month, a friend of Oscar's at work mentioned that she was going to go to the Notting Hill Carnival over the weekend and that we should check it out. It is supposed to be a big music festival with parades and festivities. When Oscar said that it might be like Mardi Gras, I wasn't too keen on the idea but I still agreed to look into it.

We picked up the paper to see if we could find out more information about the festival. There were articles about public transportation and road closures, maps, and opening hours. But my favorite article talked about how London police had already confiscated weapons, including two Samurai swords, that were part of a gang war that was going to place at the carnival. Oh, and I liked the article that said that you could pay to be on the "Ass-Shakin' Float". Now, if that doesn't sound like a good time ... I don't know what does.

Later, Oscar saw that the big Carnival day was Monday (the Bank Holiday) and that Sunday was more for families and Carnival virgins. I agreed to go on Sunday. We took the bus instead of the Tube and actually didn't have any problems getting there. Before we even got off the bus, I could see the masses of people on the street and knew we had arrived.

We made our way through the crowds, avoiding "mines" from the London police horses, and took it all in. All we saw were lots of drunk people (at 5pm), trash, and impromtu food stands along the streets. We finally made it to a main street where there was a band at the end of the road. We didn't even know who was playing and didn't care either.

It didn't take long for me to say I wanted to go home. Fortunately, Oscar understood and we made our way back. If nothing else, it made for a good laugh. We did hear that Monday is much better because the parades are supposed to be awesome. Maybe next year?! I don't know ...