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Notting Hill Carnival 2002 Faces Cancellation

Author: Jonty Adderley
Sunday, January 27, 2002
Organisers of London's Notting Hill Carnival have been ordered to completely overhaul their management or risk losing the £300,000 of public funding needed for the event to go ahead. Financial backers including the Arts Council and the Greater London authority issued their ultimatum this week, which, if carried out, could spell cancellation of the entire event.

The massively popular two day street festival is already likely to be radically different this year with the traditional circular parade route almost certain to be altered. Lee Jasper, the chairman of the Carnival Review Group, confirmed that changes will definitely happen, though told the Standard that Notting Hill will remain at the "heart of the event."

"The continuing work of the review groups has left us in no doubt that a new, non-circular route is essential to improve safety, reduce crime and protect the long term future of the carnival," he said.

In recent years, the carnival has increasingly attracted tens of thousands of clubbers to its fixed sound systems around W11, including local residents the Chemical Brothers. And while Norman Jay's Good Times and Sancho Panza dominate the dance press's coverage, one of the best systems remains Gaz's Rockin' Blues on Talbot Road.

Ed Simons from the Chemicals spoke to Skrufff recently and revealed that they'd both ended up hanging out there, dancing to on the street to the system's superb mix of dub, ska and disco.

"I went to Carnival this year and it was great," said Ed.

"There were so many people dancing on the street and that's what they love doing- dancing. There were dancing robots there and when you see that next to little kids dancing it's amazing. It was wicked."

http://www.thecarnival.tv

http://www.musicpromos.com/ecards/chembros_int (Chemical Brothers album e-card)

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