The August Bank Holiday basically marks the end of Summer, but it isn’t all doom and gloom, because before it is all over there is Notting Hill Carnival. For two days the glorious Caribbean comes to England... unfortunately, the Caribbean sunshine is not always part of the deal but you can hear the music, smell the food and see the wonderful costumes in the parade – it is a feast for all the senses.
Last year Lennisha and I took part in the parade and I loved it. We didn’t wear a crazy costume, but inside those ropes I loved it. So this year a few of my other friends came down to join in. We got our Dominican t-shirts and got to customising – cut off the sleeves, add some beads, tie it up short. Then the standard short shorts to make the outfit complete.
For one day I represented a country I knew nothing about. Of the 5 girls in my group, only one was from Dominica but that didn’t matter. We danced along to all the songs and enjoyed the attention of the crowds. I felt like a celebrity being followed by the paparazzi.They guessed 1 million people had come to line the streets, which such an extensive route across West London it is easily possible.
What makes the day so exciting is that everyone has come to party. This is the purpose of carnivals, to let lose and forget about your normal life. For that day I could have been in any island of the Caribbean, it just didn’t matter. What was important was to let your hair down, shock out and embrace the environment.
So as I type this with my chipped red, yellow and green nails I look forward to next years carnival. It is definitely a highlight of the year and if Summer had to be over at least it went with a bang!
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