London Carnival 2005 News

Great weather, peaceful people and a TnT vibe made a successful 2005 Carnival according to the TnT Mirror. Note fotos of soca star Machel Montano and Maximus Dan and TnT’s sprint champs Darrel Brown and Marc Burns having a good time tntmirror.com/sunday/2005/sept04

700,000 attend 2005 Carnival

"The Caribbean Showcase, a free family event organised by the mayor of London, took place in Hyde Park and attracted 15,000 people. London Mayor Ken Livingstone had wanted to extend the main carnival procession to Hyde Park, but organisers said they would not change the route without consulting the many community-based groups that take part." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/30Aug05

Carry On Carnival
"Carnival in Notting Hill thrives on change. It has been altered so many times that the original pan-playing parade might not even recognise today's event. But the people who keep fire in the belly of the beast remain the same. Thousands don costumes, sew sequins and play in bands for nothing. The mayor cannot buy that, the police clearly can't stop it." more by tp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/28Aug05

EBONY 2005 STEELBAND CHAMPION

PANORAMA WINNING ORDER:

Ebony Steelband – 251 points
Stardust Steel Orchestra – 242 points
Southside Harmonics – 234 points
Glissando Steel Orchestra – 233 points
Metronomes Steel Orchestra – 232 points
Real Steel – 225 points
Mangrove Steel Band – 223 points
Croydon Steel Orchestra – 204 points

2005 Adult Bands Awards

Expect lots of controversy and misinformation in the coming 2006 London Carnival season.
For the 2005 Notting Hill Carnival some 10,000 police officers and 500 transport police were deployed over the two days with 80 CCTV cameras in operation over the carnival area making the police by far the largest budgetary stakeholder in the event as well as a likely candidate via Sir Ian Blair for bringing resolution to the much studied issues.
After five years of studies, maneuvers and general decline of London's greatest annual event, it may be time to consider the return, or at least a place at the table, for the talented and spectacularly successful prior Notting Hill Carnival event producer, Claire Holder. Since her replacement various boards of squabbling politicos have continued to make a mess of things.
The Mayor of London has stepped forward with a very simple proposal of how to ease congestion and allow the parade to blossom from its cramped often stalled and uncompleted mess while addressing the long acknowledged safety issues which result from too many people in too small a space. Contrary to some reports, it does not call for the Carnival leaving Notting Hill or the needed replacement of certain responsible parties.

Maybe next year?

Sir Ian Blair: called to answer the question of doing something about crowd congestion at Notting Hill Carnival, passes, despite having agreed to the change in November of 2004. The Home Office said Sir Ian already had powers to widen the route under section 12 of the 1986 Public Order Act however it is believed Sir Ian is concerned about legal challenges from the conservative-controlled Kensington and Chelsea council if he imposes the long stridently opposed route change which would include Hyde Park in some manner.

The NHC saga continues with no new dawn yet insight, but this long and winding parade continues to get more twisted.

FlipFlop: 2005 PARADE ROUTE REMAINS UNCHANGED

Despite the Metropolitan Police agreeing in November [Carnival planners hail new route 29 Nov 04 London ] to the route being changed to start in Hyde Park, a final decision on the path it would take was never made.

Sir Ian expressed his frustration at the failure of a new route being agreed but said also wanted to add that there was no single organization to blame.

In a statement Kensington and Chelsea Council told BBC News that with just 13 weeks to go, "the route will follow the pattern of recent years".

Met police call on Carnival route by news.bbc.co.uk 31 May 05 | London
Mayor Livingstone Calls for Route Changes to Carnival in 2005

Carnival Event [but not Parade] to be held in Hyde Park
The Mayor's office plans a "Caribbean Showcase Event" on the Bank Holiday in Hyde Park not far from where Notting Hill Carnival 2005 will be taking place.

Mayor Ken's 2005 Caribbean Showcase at Hyde Park on Carnival Monday 12 to 7

After five years of patience, studies, crisis and costly tolerance of a deleterious con job by the politicians running the host royal borough, the Mayor has made a move to reinvigorate the Notting Hill Carnival. London Carnival, is still a world class event, the pride of the London Caribbean community and supported by all who support London's place as a vibrant multicultural city.
A statement from the mayor's office said: "The Caribbean Showcase event in Hyde Park is a small scale event designed to celebrate the contribution of the Caribbean community to the life of the capital.

[more at bbc 22 June, 2005 ]

The Tabernacle in Ladbroke Grove Closes unexpectedly

The Tabernacle in Ladbroke Grove, west London, owes the money for staff payments and running costs such as gas and electricity bills and has closed unexpectedly in late March of 2005

The centre is used by about 250,000 people each year and is the hub of the annual Notting Hill Carnival. Labroke Grove is the heart of the spectacular Notting Hill Carnival, held each August Bank Holiday since 1966

The plans which I've had, I've not been able to carry out because we have been constrained by no cash in the till ...Because we have been operating on a knife edge you only need one little blip for disaster to happen.

"Unfortunately we have had two blips recently where we had reasonably expected to receive, and relied on, money that suddenly didn't materialise." Tabernacle director Anton Phillips told BBC News:

Carnival arts centre 'to close'
24 Mar 05 | London

Meanwhile there's talk of an even grander Carnival center somewhere off in the future. At least one non-local news source has reported that four groups—the Ebony and Mangrove steelbands, the Yaa Asantewaa cultural centre in west London and the Association of British Calypsonians have announced jointly secured £13 million funding to construct the four storey Carnival Village on a site in Ladbroke Grove, at the very heart of the Notting Hill Carnival matrix.
The village will house a steelpan factory and several recording studios, mas construction workshops, a theatre and cinema, restaurant and function rooms. [more from the guardian.co.tt]