London gears up for Notting Hill Carnival

Sandwiched between the Olympics and the Paralympics, and in the year that Jamaica celebrates 50 years of independence, London’s Notting Hill Carnival is promising to be bigger and brighter than ever before.

It’s been a summer of celebration for Jamaica who on August 6th marked 50 years of independence from British rule.

And the party is set to continue at this year’s Notting Hill Festival - Europe’s biggest street party with its roots in Jamaica.

The London listings guide, TimeOut magazine, provides a carnival pullout each year. Guide editor, Jonny Ensall says Jamaica is going to be a central feature of Carnival 2012.

Jonny Ensall, Guide Editor of "Time Out" Magazine, said, "Not just because of Usain Bolt and everything that happened in the Olympics, but also because it’s 50 years of Jamaican independence being celebrated this year and I think what you are going to see at the carnival is a lot of looking back, so people are going to be looking back at the history of that culture and specifically at the music."

Launched in 1964, the annual celebration of Caribbean culture has grown into a major street event and usually attracts about a million people.

Its colourful parades, rows of jerk chicken vendors, and thumping sound-stages set up throughout the leafy west London neighbourhood continue to be a major draw.

Ensall estimates that the carnival will see 10-15 percent more visitors thanks to extra tourism and a huge boost to the public mood from the Olympics and Paralympics.

-  CCTV