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Notting Hill Carnival 2012

i'd probably try and find a better map really, it is a bit small and they have put north as to the left for some reason.
 
*Aba-Shanti - with Good Times next door (you can beat the crowds by going to Kensal Green tube and walking down from there)

RE Time Out map numbers, stretch 6-7

*Solution Sound next door to Gaz's Rocking Blues and a short walk to Channel One via another good sound only there on Sunday whose name i forget (notting hill gate tube)

Time Out map numbers, stretch 26,27, 33, 34 - with a mini mission to CMC if you can be arsed at 20 - but seriously, the less you walk the better a time you have :cool: I'll be at Aba Shanti both days and thats it! (might stroll down to Digital Soundboy on Monday at a push)
 
Gonna go on the Sunday now, for the first time in prob' 20 years I'm working on the Tuesday and start at 7am, and I don't like cutting my day/evening short.

Also, have to give Solution Sound a go, see if they can get close to the vibe of the mighty Jah Observer.
 
^^^
I know theres a lot of free music floating around, but honestly, those Twilight Circus tracks above are well worth your time...



notting-hill-carnival-2012%232.jpg
 
*Solution Sound next door to Gaz's Rocking Blues and a short walk to Channel One

This on Sunday, with a stroll up to say hello to the Tighten Up crew at Gladdys. Dunno bout Monday yet, haven' booked Tuesday off work (yet).
 
Good Time back after going AWOL last year - Norman Jay post from last week:

Hi everyone!

We warmly welcome HAVANA CLUB brand to help us and you celebrate the much vaunted return of Good Times Sound System to Notting Hill Carnival 2012.

There will also be 3 fully licensed GOOD TIMES / HAVANA CLUB branded bars located around the bus offering ice cold beer, wine and fantastic cocktails as well as soft drinks and bottled water. Please be advised NOT to patronise any street vendors selling food or drink in the area as they are NOT authorised or licensed and are ILLEGAL. Any food or drink purchased from them could be a potential health hazard and directly impacts on us financially.

Remember by purchasing your alcoholic beverages, food and official merchandise exclusively from OUR officially licensed bars and stalls over the bank holiday weekend really HELPS US FINANCIALLY. In essence it means that EVERY £ pound you spend with GOOD TIMES over the bank holiday weekend, you are DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTING and helping to meet the ever increasing costs of us appearing at NHC in the future.

This year for example and for the first time ever at our carnival site/stage, we will be providing a total of 10 SERVICEABLE PUBLIC TOILETS which will be located on the NORTH pavement on the eastern end of SOUTHERN ROW, towards the LADBROKE GROVE STEPS which will now be a designated EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY. We tried (in vain) to get the local council to provide this essential service for FREE but to no avail. This year the local council decided in their infinite wisdom NOT to install the men’s urinals usually located between Southern and Middle Row W10 much to our dismay. So in the end we decided to hire them in ourselves (at additional cost to us) for the EXCLUSIVE USE OF GOOD TIMES FANS ONLY.

So please be advised, THERE WILL BE A NOMINAL COVER CHARGE TO USE THEM ON BOTH DAYS (cover charge yet to be confirmed).
Speak again soon!

Fucking hell.
 
Good Time back after going AWOL last year - Norman Jay post from last week:

Hi everyone!

Like possibly millions of people around the UK and the rest of the world at the present time, I’m suffering terribly from post Olympic blues at the moment. It was a truly amazing spectacle to behold. I have never before spent soo much time in front of the tv watching sport. It was probably one of the best summer fortnights I can ever remember in London. I doff my hat to our entire Team GB sportsmen and women, especially our gold medalists and Olympic champions. BIG UP!

The 2012 Olympics have clearly inspired a palpable ‘feel good’ factor in the country, particularly here in London, where the vibe was fantastic. So it is our intention here at Good Times Sound System to help prolong that special feeling over the coming August bank holiday weekend (Sun 26th and Mon 27th). For those of you who haven’t yet heard, Good Times will DEFINITELY be back at this year’s Notting Hill Carnival. Although at the time of writing, there will be NO official after party either. But we are working tirelessly on the possibility of a last minute ‘Pop-up’ afterparty venue so please watch this space! In the meantime we warmly welcome you back in your teeming thousands to join us at this year’s Notting Hill Carnival.

A year out from NHC meant that we (Good Times) have had to overcome new financial and logistical challenges in order for us to even be here this year. Thankfully though we have managed to attract a partner sponsor in the shape of HAVANA CLUB for Notting Hill carnival 2012. We warmly welcome HAVANA CLUB brand to help us and you celebrate the much vaunted return of Good Times Sound System to Notting Hill Carnival 2012.

In light of current HEALTH & SAFETY legislation, there will be one or two small ‘visible’ changes to our SOUTHERN ROW / WEST ROW London W10 site set up this year. Our legendary double decker bus will still be there of course and in exactly the same place on SOUTHERN ROW, as will our ever popular SOUL KITCHEN (located in West Row) offering the best in authentic Caribbean finger food. There will also be 3 fully licensed GOOD TIMES / HAVANA CLUB branded bars located around the bus offering ice cold beer, wine and fantastic cocktails as well as soft drinks and bottled water. Please be advised NOT to patronise any street vendors selling food or drink in the area as they are NOT authorised or licensed and are ILLEGAL. Any food or drink purchased from them could be a potential health hazard and directly impacts on us financially.

Remember by purchasing your alcoholic beverages, food and official merchandise exclusively from OUR officially licensed bars and stalls over the bank holiday weekend really HELPS US FINANCIALLY. In essence it means that EVERY £ pound you spend with GOOD TIMES over the bank holiday weekend, you are DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTING and helping to meet the ever increasing costs of us appearing at NHC in the future.

Just to put it all into context, we have NEVER made any money/profit from playing at NHC in all the years we have been there. Nor have we EVER had any help, financial assistance, grants etc, from local government, the Lottery or the Arts council to help cover the enormous cost of appearing at NHC each year. For the record, we at Good Times have been responsible for personally funding our appearance at NHC over the last few years OUT OF OUR OWN POCKETS!. A ludicrous situation which was simply NOT sustainable and was indeed a major contributing factor for our non-appearance in 2011. The annual Notting Hill Carnival as you are fully aware is a FREE EVENT TO THE PUBLIC but costs the many participants like ourselves, £1,000′s of pounds in bar and street trading licenses, production hire and public liability insurance fees etc, costs which ALL have to be met somehow. As there is NO entrance fee or cover charge to the event, we have NO way of recouping this huge financial outlay. This is why YOUR continued support is so vitally important to us. We really value it.

This year for example and for the first time ever at our carnival site/stage, we will be providing a total of 10 SERVICEABLE PUBLIC TOILETS which will be located on the NORTH pavement on the eastern end of SOUTHERN ROW, towards the LADBROKE GROVE STEPS which will now be a designated EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY. We tried (in vain) to get the local council to provide this essential service for FREE but to no avail. This year the local council decided in their infinite wisdom NOT to install the men’s urinals usually located between Southern and Middle Row W10 much to our dismay. So in the end we decided to hire them in ourselves (at additional cost to us) for the EXCLUSIVE USE OF GOOD TIMES FANS ONLY.

So please be advised, THERE WILL BE A NOMINAL COVER CHARGE TO USE THEM ON BOTH DAYS (cover charge yet to be confirmed). A token system for their exclusive use will be in operation over the entire weekend. Anyone who has ever attended carnival before will attest to the fact at just how difficult it is to find a toilet which is accessible and above all, CLEAN. Many GT carnival goers are often forced to turn to (some) local residents who have been known to charge up to £5 per head to use their private faciliites. Again I stress this is a non-profit exercise but wholly for YOUR benefit . All monies raised by their patronage over the weekend will go directly into covering the cost of hiring them in (which is pretty substantial I have to say). We have taken it upon ourselves to implement these new changes in order to help enhance your Good Times experience at NHC. I hope I have gone some way to explaining exactly why these toilet charges are necessary and that you fully understand the situation and thereby continue to support us on it.

I will be back very soon with more important NHC updates. Filling you in with daily start and finishing times. What time you should arrive at GOOD TIMES etc, New limited edition GT merchandise (only available on the day behind the GOOD TIMES Bus or adjacent to the SOUL KITCHEN, unfortunately as our online shop is currently closed, official after party update (IF we have one) and NEW Met Police crowd control measures as a record Good Times crowd is expected this year. Until then have a great weekend. I’m very much looking forward to my first ever appearance at the NOTTINGHAM CARNIVAL this Saturday (see live dates page for more info).

Speak again soon!
fucking hell indeed
 
I might be heading up there on my own. I like to walk along the canal, it's an excellent way to arrive without any fuss, police, or crowds. Anyone fancy meeting up?
 
Not sure now if I have a lift or anywhere to stay, as well as being £100s down from the Mr crashing the car, so might not be able to come.

Wish I wasn't the ugly friend that no one wanted about.

:(
 
Fucking hell.
not that out of order IMO - if they council have taken those much needed toilets away, then fair enough if GT want to hire some in and charge a £1 for use.

More from Good Times though:

Hello all.

Official countdown….

Well the official countdown to Notting Hill Carnival 2012 is well under way (well official to my mind anyway) and now with only 6 days to go before the first tune blares out of our powerful new Good Times speakers, the mounting excitement, not only amongst fans everywhere, but around the local Notting Hill area as well, is truly palpable This is possibly the BUSIEST week of the year for us. As you can probably imagine, there will be plenty of fervent ‘behind the scenes’ activity going on from our fantastic production crew, bar staff and site volunteers from now right up until one minute before 12 o’clock on Sunday 27th August. All this effort is just to ensure that you guys have the best time possible with us over the coming bank holiday weekend.

Entrance to Good Times 2012

Due to the massive crowds who attend GOOD TIMES every year and the resulting congestion issues, the Met Police in association with Kensington & Chelsea Council will be implementing NEW CROWD MANAGEMENT MEASURES this year where they will close some access roads in the area, thus restricting access after a certain time. So please be advised, it is vitally important you arrive as early as possible on both days ARRIVE AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE ON BOTH DAYS. Our official location address is: Junction of WEST ROW and SOUTHERN ROW (off Kensal Road), London W10. There will be TWO officially designated street access points to GOOD TIMES this year. You can reach us via the KENSAL ROAD entrance (which runs directly north of WEST ROW) or along SOUTHERN ROW, accessing it from either BOSWORTH ROAD or APPLEFORD ROAD. The old LADBROKE GROVE entrance into SOUTHERN ROW (via the concrete steps) will now be a designated EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY, so you will NOT be permitted entry. We are obliged to inform you that the Met Police WILL BE ENFORCING these new crowd control measures as soon as we have reached our maximum crowd capacity. So be warned!
Start/Closure…
You can arrive at carnival as early as you like although the music doesn’t officially until MIDDAY, continuing through til 7pm on both days. SUNDAY is a designated ‘family day’, so you can bring the kids along and safely enjoy the atmosphere before the hordes arrive. If you are a wheel chair user, it also a good call to visit us during this time (and several do). Our THREE fully licensed GOOD TIMES branded bars will be open to the public as well as our newly installed and serviceable (10) TOILETS . As I have already allude to, there will be a nominal charge for their use throughout the day on BOTH days for GOOD TIMES PATRONS ONLY. They will be open from NOON til 7PM daily. BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY is traditionally the busier of the two but this year that may not be the case as capacity crowds are expected around GOOD TIMES on BOTH days.
What to expect…
A GOOD time obviously. But seriously though, we’ll be deejaying for up to 6 hours each day playing a truly unrivalled eclectic mix of black and dance music spanning at least 5 DECADES. If your like your music a little older (and purer), then I’d advise the music ‘connoiseurs’ among you to be there from the start at 12 o’clock where I play stuff you’d NEVER imaging hearing at carnvial (and that’s no idle boast). So if you arrive early doors (and of course if the weather is good), you’re very likely to hear anything from cool listening JAZZ to NORTHERN SOUL, some 60′s/Mod classics running into 70s and 80′ dance stuff stuff including, SOUL, FUNK, DISCO, REGGAE, SKA, HIP HOP, R&B, D&B and HOUSE music including ALL the ‘street corner’ classics you’ve come to expect from us. The music will obviously become more dance-y and crowd friendly as the day becomes busier, ending in a collective ‘crowd frenzy’ at close down at 7pm. There simply isn’t any type of black music that doesn’t get a look in from us over the entire carnival weekend.That’s exactly how the music schedule runs at GOOD TIMES (as it always has) and it works for us. The HUGE capacity crowds who share our love and enjoyment for it every year are a living testament to this fact .
So we cordially invite you to come along and BE A PART OF IT!
More CARNIVAL updates throughout the week – thanks reading and please SHARE THIS INFO!
 
I might be heading up there on my own. I like to walk along the canal, it's an excellent way to arrive without any fuss, police, or crowds. Anyone fancy meeting up?
what day are you going? was going to just do monday but might do both :hmm:
 
Re Good Times. Their toilets are situated on the street. What right to they have to occupy any area of Notting Hill and charge cash for facilities? What next? Pay to get near their stage? Pay to get into the area? Wrist band and searches for all? <slightly grumpy mode>
 
Re Good Times. Their toilets are situated on the street. What right to they have to occupy any area of Notting Hill and charge cash for facilities? What next? Pay to get near their stage? Pay to get into the area? Wrist band and searches for all? <slightly grumpy mode>

The council would bit their arm off for GT to offer to provide extra toilets.

A slightly worrying development, though there's a few uncomfortable truths about the running and financing of the carnival that can't be ignored forever. Basically it's the one of the biggest events in the world where no-one involved in the organising or running of it makes any money. There's no centralising of income. Whilst as punters this isn't exactly a concern, it's not likely it can run as is forever, sadly :(
 
The council would bit their arm off for GT to offer to provide extra toilets.

A slightly worrying development, though there's a few uncomfortable truths about the running and financing of the carnival that can't be ignored forever. Basically it's the one of the biggest events in the world where no-one involved in the organising or running of it makes any money. There's no centralising of income. Whilst as punters this isn't exactly a concern, it's not likely it can run as is forever, sadly :(
If the megalomaniacs like Good times can't make it work without branded bars, sponsorship, paid for toilets and so on I suggest they go and fuck off? There are many many sounds who would love to get a space at Carnival and can't get in because of reductions imposed by the police and Council?
 
Re good times. Their toilets are situated on the street. what right to they have to occupy any area of Notting Hill and charge cash for facilities? What next? Pay to get near their stage? pay to get into the area? Wrist band and searches for all? <slightly grumpy mode>
i hear that, but most street toilets are council ones - its not cheap to hire a portaloo, so if theyve hired 10 (no other sound does that do they?), that needs recouping

Red Bull can fuck off with their private wrist band thing though
 
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