Here at M.Y.O we've been getting Carnival crazy for this bank holiday weekend!

In addition to many shopping trips in the colourful African fabric markets near our Peckham studio to make some crazy headdresses for ourselves, we were lucky to be invited to run a carnival headdress session with members at the beautiful NED Hotel near Bank last week. It was so much fun and some of the headdresses made were fantastic! See the photos below. We've got some great ideas and will definitely be running Carnival Headdress Workshops for your guys next year!

Now to get you fully prepped before the Carnival this year, here are 10 things you may not know about The Notting Hill Carnival!

1. The first Carnival was in 1958, and it really began as a demonstration of racial unity after the Notting Hill Race Riots. The first proper outdoor street party was not until 1966 and it was inspired by a dream about people of different races, dancing together.

2. The Carnival requires over 40, 000 volunteers to create, run, organise it across the two days

3. Although you may not believe it, it is world's second largest street party, only second to The Rio Carnival (The ultimate carnival experience). This claim is however contested by Columbia's Barranquilla Carnaval.

4. To give you a scale of just how big the carnival gets, it is the equivalent of 11 Glastonbury Festivals!

5. The Carnival has been estimated to contribute £93million to the economy, whilst policing costs are only estimated to be £7million.

6. The majority of carnival goers, 80% to be exact, are locals and live in the UK. Only 20% are tourists.

7. There are over 70 performing stages along the carnival route.

8. There are over 15,000 costumes made each year in "Mas camps" (Mas = masquerade) and these are ALL made by hand, often under the guidance of Trinidadian designers!

9. Approximately 5 tonnes of chicken and 25,000 bottles of rum are drank at the carnival.

10. The band Pink Floyd played one of their first gigs as part of the festival!

A little bonus - have you seen this video of 3 Met Policemen dancing at the 2013 carnival? :)

Happy Carnival Weekend Everyone!

x Diana