Europe's Largest Street Party Starts in Burst of Color

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, August 25, 2003

Europe's Largest Street Party Starts in Burst of Color

Europe's largest street party, the two-day Notting Hill Carnival which has been celebrated in London for 38 years, kicked off Sunday in a burst of vibrant color and rhythmic Caribbean music.

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Europe's largest street party, the two-day Notting Hill Carnival which has been celebrated in London for 38 years, kicked off Sunday in a burst of vibrant color and rhythmic Caribbean music.

Police estimated that on the day, some 100,000 people partied streets watching youngsters of all ages and races, led by a van decorated with red Chinese characters, danced and sang in the sunshine, parading their costumes along the carnival routes.

Some 25 traditional Soca sound systems, 45 static sound systems,35 costume bands and 10 steel drum bands also joined the grand children's street party, alongside the hundreds of stalls lining the streets selling cold drinks and Caribbean specialities.

The mood of the crowd was "positive and good-humored," although the attendance figure seemed to be down on last year's, said the police. Around one million revellers are expected to attend the carnival over the Bank Holiday, with most turning up to the main Adults Day on Monday.

The theme for the 39th Notting Hill Carnival, which continues Monday, is "peace on the streets."

In an attempt to make sure the carnival runs smoothly, police in London have already targeted suspected troublemakers and send letters warning them to stay at home.

The letters, delivered by police themselves, said: "We know whoyou are and what you look like... We don't think it's a good idea for you to go to carnival."

A Sky News report said so far there have been a total of 18 arrests including an offensive weapon, car theft and six drug-related offenses. Last year's event saw 142 arrests.

The organizers have employed more than 1,000 stewards trained in crowd management, while 9,750 police were deployed to safeguardthe carnival.

The Notting Hill Carnival started as a local affair set up by the West Indian immigrants in London in 1966. Now it has become a full-blooded multicultural carnival with groups participating from Afghanistan, Kurdistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Bulgaria, Russia, Brazil and many other places, according to the organizers.

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