Ever been to London Notting hill Carnival? A view from a parent’s perspective

in notting •  8 years ago 

High lights from yesterday:
https://www.rt.com/uk/357498-notting-hill-carnival-stabbings-twerking/

Like all carnivals it’s awash with bright magnificent costumes capturing the spirit of its origin. The food is amazing and is usually part of the experience.

I have been with my three young children before but there is a good reason I would not go annually.
It is usually easy to get to the carnival as all train stations are open to it. However, if you want to get out, that is when it really gets interesting; all stations surrounding the carnival route are usually closed for security reasons.
I never really understood this, imagine I had three children one carried on my shoulders as they can easily get crashed and had to walk for an hour looking for a station. Buses are easily available but the later it gets the more chaos there is.

The headlines this morning do not make good reading. I think part of the problem is, the crowds cannot be easily dispersed when trouble starts. It would help to have all transport net works available.
My teenage niece and nephew have just asked for permission to join the carnival today. Having read the headlines from yesterday with stabbings; I am uncomfortable with the idea. But how are they supposed to learn responsibility without being thrown in the deep end? It is always teens in these stabbings; it is rare for any other age group to be caught up. I just hope I have instilled enough common sense to sniff trouble before it starts.

I won’t always be there to say NO!

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