Tag Archives: notting hill carnival

Tropical Isles x Play Nice: CARNI READY

Hackney based carnival arts charity Tropical Isles and Play Nice London are teaming up this Tuesday August 13th to bring you an evening of carnival themed workshops at the Rose Lipman Centre. Joelle Fontaine of At Your Beat Dance Studio will be showing you how to whine up your waist in a dance workshop, and Winifred from Tropical Isles will be teaching you how to make your own headdress or wristband in a costume making workshop. Workshops will be followed by drinks and DJs (we may even spin some tunes!).

The event runs from 7-10pm and workshops are pay what you can; advance tickets here, donations are also welcome on the night. As funding for Notting Hill Carnival continues to be cut, proceeds will help support the local community to get on the road and participate at this year’s Notting Hill Carnival.

HDD & Friends : Favourite Notting Hill Carnival Soundsystems

HDD carnival soundsystems

Over the years we have asked some of our favourite djs, producers and carnival goers to share their Notting Hill Carnival tips with us. Here are some tips from HDD friends and family on the best sound systems to visit (now updated for 2019). Check out the official Notting Hill Carnival website for the full list of this year’s soundsystems and their locations.

Of course Notting Hill Carnival is also known for it’s mas bands playing the best soca on the parade route, find the full list of participants here.

Please remember, a minute’s silence will be held at 3pm on Sunday 25th and Monday 26th to honour the victims of the Grenfell fire.

Here are our tips for this year:
Nasty Love on Colville Gardens, Volcano on All  Saints Road, GT Flex/Mayhem Crew (Block Party) on Middle Row, Nigerian Corner on Adela Street (this one is on carnival Monday only), Lord Gelly’s at Cambridge Gardens are some of our carnival favourites. This year you can also see Spice, Alicai Harley, Lil C and more at the RBMA stage at Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance Park on Sunday and for the soca fans Mangrove will be running road with Farmer Nappy, Swappi Nessa Preppy and more.

 

For more carnival tips from us and Shy One listen back below (from 1:00:00)

For more carnival tips from us and Serocee listen back below (from 00:05:00)

 

Jillionaire (Mazor Lazer)
Sancho Panza and Good Times and Channel One neck and neck and neck
(Sancho Panza and Good Times will not be at carnival this year)

 

Gabriel Heatwave
Lord Gelly’s at carnival

 

Schlachthofbronx
For the sound: usually the truck with the void soundsystem. and of course checkin Aba shanti and Channel One…
for the music: we usually switch between the parade and the sounds. so wherever we like it we stay…

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HDD & Friends: Best Food to eat at Notting Hill Carnival

Notting-Hill-Carnival-Food

Over the years we have asked some of our favourite djs, producers and carnival goers to share their Notting Hill Carnival tips with us. Here are some tips on food and drink at carnival (now updated for 2019).

 

Here are our tips for this year:
Call your local Caribbean takeaway and ask them if they have a spot at carnival, if not see if they can recommend a stall, there’s nothing worse than overpriced bad jerk chicken! If you can find a roti spot that does doubles that’s a winner, plus great for vegetarians. Our carnival drink is Appleton Estate rum with ginger beer and a squeeze of lime, avoid beers and stick to spirits if you don’t want to spend the day waiting in toilet lines.

 

For more carnival tips from us and Shy One listen back below
(from 00:06:20)

For more carnival tips from us and Serocee listen back below
(from 1:00:00)

 

Dan Bean 
I have one secret that will revive you in dark times. On Portobello road there is a place called the Grain Shop, they board it up during Carnival to look shut but if you push the door …it’s open. Never any queues and you get a big fuck off tray filled full of food that will keep you going. I’ve been going to carnival for 24 years now and still don’t trust the Jerk Chicken. Bring your own booze too, a lukewarm can of Red Stripe for a fiver taste like piss and takes the piss, go for Rum, alternatively for a classic carnival look buy a bottle of Alize.

 

Gabriel Heatwave
I don’t have a favourite stall but in terms of drink it’s all about a plastic water bottle full of rum…

 

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HDD x Footpatrol x Nike Air Force 1 Carnival Pack

Nike have just re-released the Air Force 1 Carnival pack and to celebrate the launch we linked up with Footpatrol to test out the kicks and chat about Notting Hill Carnival. Head over to the Footpatrol blog for our carnival tips and to see more from our photoshoot. Cop your carnival kicks here.

We also recorded this exclusive carnival mix to get you ready for the weekend!

HDD at RBMA x Mangrove

This year RBMA are back at Notting Hill Carnival and are linking up with one of the best local mas bands Mangrove to bring one big bad truck to this year’s parade route. We are honoured to be part of this lineup alongside  Soca royalty Bunji Garlin, Fay-Ann Lyons and Olatunji, last year’s Thre3style champion DJ Puffy and some of London’s best selectors; The Heatwave and Jus Now. Serocee will be hosting with PAs from Mangrove artists Jo Money, Sunshine & Nadiva, Soca Jonny, Joni Rich and Survival #1.

Watch out for the truck on the parade route or if you want to play ah mas with Mangrove on the day get your t-shirts and costumes here.

More info on RBMA events at carnival here.

HDD at Mixmag Carnival Afters

Mixmag are hosting a carnival after party on Monday 28th August at Paradise which is a stone’s throw from the carnival route! We’ll be djing alongside Trojan Sound System, Cropper, Subculture Sounds plus a very special guest in the main room, with So Fresh So Clean holding it down upstairs. More info and tickets here.