Carnival, a Christian festival, was taken to South America by the Spanish and to the Caribbean by the French. In most parts of the world, it takes place in February, at the start of Lent, but the Notting Hill event is staged in the last weekend in August when there is a better chance of good weather. It has grown from a small procession of African-Caribbeans in costume in 1964 to a huge multicultural arts festival, attended by up to two million people, second in scale only to the Rio Carnival. The event prides itself on reflecting the multicultural nature of present day UK, with groups participating from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Kurdistan, the Philippines and many parts of the Caribbean, Africa, Central and South America. While the procession of costumes, soca and steel bands winds its way along the three mile route, static sound systems play selections of many different kinds of fest.
Street stalls sell art, crafts and food from all over the world.
According to the organisers, 'Carnival aims to celebrate the cultural heritage of its founders and at the same time be open enough to take on board evolving contemporary culture with its multiracial, multi-cultural trends'. The style of mehndi decoration varies from one country to another, but the Asian patterns seen most frequently in minority communities in the UK tend to use fine line, lacy, floral and paisley patterns. Mothers and older sisters are often invited to apply to children's hands mehndi patterns at parties to celebrate Muslim festivals such as Eid in many British schools. Mehndi artists are now also found increasingly in tourist destinations and pop festivals in the summer. An art form traditionally associated with the hotter climates where mehndi grows has become very much a feature of British culture.