Carnival Fever?

Sunday’s carnival bought the sunshine and indeed the crowds; we embarked on the overground to Kensal Rise after a cycle from London Fields, and bus to Hampstead. After the strained yet predictably long journey westwards we encountered a leering gaggle of London Transport officers. The only conclusion I could draw was that they’d just escaped from a laboratory conducting tests into the use of the hormone testosterone; the sight of girls in ‘carnival’ styling’s was almost too much for them to bear, overwhelming to say the least.

It was busy, we light-heartedly hadn’t planned out route and headed straight into the throng, carried along I witnessed several bemusing sights. It became quite fraught when trays of noodles and chop suey were overturned due to overcrowding. Musically there was lots on offer, although not enough to keep me at a particular sound system for any length of time. The gentrification of the area has led to the reallocation of historical sound systems or the obliteration of them altogether. Red Bull maxed out there marketability by cramming lots of electro trendies in one high fenced area and dosing them up on Vodka Red Bull all day, not a bad ploy. Good times was blocked off by 4pm, which vetoed my bank holiday pacing’s out of the picture.


Highlight of the carnival was undoubtedly filling my impoverished belly with Jamaican grub, after a Friday straight through to Sunday at LED (more write up to follow) it was like returning from the desert to find water.

Carnival queens resting up

This lady was responsible for keeping the barrier up, good job.

Overexertion was a common theme.

Literally streets piled with rubbish

DJ slash foodstall holder making it work, by working it

Fort Knocks

It was good to see all colours, shapes and sizes

Our escape shot, we exhaled as we crossed this bridge, phew no more crowds.