Carnival Safety Success

This year’s Notting Hill Carnival, Europe’s biggest street festival, is being hailed as the best ever. Despite the cloudy skies, the carnival brought the streets to life in its own unique way with record numbers and little reported crime.

After the two murders in 2000, there had been major safety worries concerning this year’s carnival. To deal with these fears several changes were made. Firstly, the route for the carnival was changed to avoid the narrowest streets in Notting Hill, a residential area with many small roads. Secondly, the carnival organizers provided more stewards and they received better training.

Finally, the organizers ensured that the ending time, 9 p.m., was closely observed.

Following these changes, Carnival 2002 saw more than a million people party in the streets of Notting Hill. More than 3,000 people dressed in spectacular colourful costumes and paraded and danced through the streets, crowds of four and five people deep lined the route to catch a glimpse of the event.

Residents partied on apartment balconies and even the police got in on the act. Apart from the carnival parade, the local area was filled with sound systems pumping out music of all different kinds – Samba, Soca, Reggae and Rap music being the most common.

Police yesterday said that 56 arrests were made over the weekend, which included 30 arrests for pick-pocketing and three for robbery. The chairman of the Notting Hill Carnival Trust, Chris Mullard, yesterday said, "The criticism of the event has been ill founded and I hope people will now see the carnival for what it is; a wonderful opportunity to project the multiculturalism that is metropolitan London.”

Conversation practice: Socializing (Introductions).

a) How to approach the person you are meeting:

It’s (Mr. Brown), isn’t it?

(Mr/Mrs/Miss Smith)?

Excuse me, are you (Mr. Thompson)?

b) How to replay:

Yes, that’s right.

Yes?

Yes, that’s right. And you must be (Mr. Williams).

c) How to introduce yourself:

I’m (Charles Brown)

My name’s (Sally Kent).

I’m so pleased to meet you.

I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. I’m (Tom Smith).

So glad to meet you.

d) How to respond and replay to an introduction:

How do you do. (formal)

Hello. (less formal)

e) How to introduce someone who is with you:

May I introduce my girlfriend/boyfriend, Janet/James.

And this is my wife/husband.

Meet my business colleague, Tom Williams.

1. Listen to the conversation, ask and answer questions, role-play the conversation: