As millions get ready to converge on Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway on Labor Day for the massive West Indian American Day Carnival Parade, hundreds of thousands earlier this week descended on London for Notting Hill Caribbean Carnival.
The carnival, considered the biggest street festival in Europe, was again awash with extravagant outfits for its second and final day on Monday, according to the British Daily Mail.
It said the streets of west London were packed with carnival lovers strutting their stuff in sequined Caribbean costumes, gyrating to pulsating Caribbean music and gobbling down the tasty food.
The Bank Holiday Monday marked the main parade day, with scores of scantily-clad performers adorned in glitter and feathers marching down the streets, the Daily Mail said.
It said that, during the Carnival celebrations, there were several tributes to mark the 70th anniversary of the SS Empire Windrush arriving in the UK.
In addition, on Monday, at 3 pm the music stopped for a 72-second silence in tribute to the 72 people who died in the fire at Grenfell Tower in June 2017, the Daily Mail said.
It said the tower block is within half-a-mile of the parade route. Another silence to mark the tragedy took place in the afternoon.
The silence was broken at the Rampage sound stage, just off Colville Square, with cheers, whistles and the booming voice of the late Aretha Franklin singing “Respect,” the Daily Mail said.
It said the carnival carved its way around west London in a mass of music, dancing, bold costumes and floats of soaked entertainers.
It’s thought the event expected attracted more than two million revelers in total to its floats, food stalls and music over the course of the weekend, the Daily Mail said.
It said singer Alexandra Burke, named Sunday as the carnival’s first ever ambassador, carried out her first duty in the role by opening this year’s festival.
The Mail said though heavy rain soaked the Notting Hill Carnival on Sunday, it did not stop determined revelers from partying.
“Most people who come to carnival come to enjoy themselves, and we want that spirit of safety and unity,” said Notting Hill Carnival Limited executive director Matthew Phillip.
“There have been so many other events that have this. Notting Hill Carnival is very different, because it takes place on the streets,” he added.
