Panorama
The Saturday before Notting Hill Carnival is all about steel bands. The Panorama steel band competition has been running for the last 27 years and this year will be no different. See the bands battle it out to become National Champions of Steel at Horniman’s Pleasance Park Kensal Road from 7pm. Panorama is highly recommended in our carnival guide by Poirier and Dan Bean!
Hipsters Dont Dance World Carnival
Saturday night we got your covered as we warm up for up carnival at Visions Video Bar with some of the world’s best djs in the tropical scene – Dre Skull, So Shifty, Murlo and more. Expect a whole heap of dancehall, soca, azonto and all things tropical, and we may even have some special guests dropping by on the night.
Hang out at a carnival soundsystem
Whether you want to skank out or just chill, spending some time at a soundsystem is a carnival must! Favourites from our soundsytem guide from last year and this year include Nasty Love, Channel One, Good Times, Lord Gelly’s and King Tubby’s
Follow the trucks
What would carnival be without soca! Pump your flags and feel like a bacchanalist while following the trucks on the carnival route, we highly recommend it! If you like a little bashment with your soca The Heatwave are offering you a chance to be a part of their party truck on carnival Monday and they promise mad tunes, free rum and millions of horns and whistles.
Enjoy some Caribbean food
Carnival food stalls are sometimes hit or miss but our food and drink recommendations from our carnival experts should help you out. HDD recommends the Munchies or Roti Stop stalls, and the top foods to eat are jerk chicken or goat, ackee and saltfish, and roti.