Chinese Lanterns at the Notting Hill Carnival
Chinese lanterns…the perfect accompaniment to London’s biggest and longest standing weekend festival, the notting Hill carnival. It’s that time of year again, the last, sunny bank holiday weekend in August, when we all bid farewell to the summer (what there was of it), and welcome in the autumn term. Celebrations all round.
The Notting Hill Carnival has been going since the 1960s, and was originally a means by which Afro-Caribbean communities could celebrate their own culture and traditions, and since then has gained a reputation as the most vibrant and lively street parties in Europe. At the heart of the Notting Hill festival, are the Caribbean carnivals of the early 19th century – a strong tradition in Trinidad – which were geared towards celebrating the abolition of slavery and the slave trade. The very first carnival was an attempt to showcase the steel band musicians who played at the Coleherne pub in Earls Court every Sunday. The band paraded through the street drawing out black residents from their homes an celebrating in shared memory of their homelands.
'ello, 'ello, what's going on here then?
Still that element of community, shared hope and euphoria pervade the carnival, and it’s always a memorable occassion for both those within and without the Caribbean culture. It’s a celebration of diversity and people more than anything else.
If you’re planning on going to Notting Hill this weekend, here are a few tips: Make sure you have a bottle of water on you at all times, have cash ready- no one wants to fuss around with chipping and pinning and you’ll never get to a cash point, wear comfy shoes and clothes- you’re likely to be doing a lot of walking, and take a camera. Most importantly, don’t forget to bring some chinese lanterns or sky lanterns along for the ride. The bright, spacious streets, uplifting music and over one million happy revellers, make for the perfect environment to release some lanterns into the sun kissed skies. It’s the ultimate celebratory event, not to be missed. In fact, I should probably get myself down there now…
Wishlantern.co.uk is your leading supplier of Chinese Lanterns for weddings and celebrations. We can be reached on 0845 500 1215 or by emailing the team sales@wishlantern.co.uk
