A melting pot of sounds, a kaleidoscope of colour, a feast for the eyes, ears and belly; Notting Hill Carnival is a glut for the senses as it bursts onto the streets of west London.

With two million attendees, 50,000 performers, 40 sound systems and 70 performing stages, Notting Hill is the biggest street festival in Europe, and globally second only to Rio’s carnival in Brazil. It’s the equivalent size of 11 Glastonburys, with the parade spanning almost four miles.

But this sprawling, world-renowned cultural phenomenon had humble beginnings. More than six decades ago, it started life as a children’s fair. Then called the London Caribbean Carnival, the very first event was held indoors at St Pancras Town Hall in January ‘59, organised by Trinidad-born cultural activist Claudia Jones, who is thought of as the Mother of Caribbean Carnival in Britain.

The seeds were planted, but it was Rhaune Laslett who watered them. In ‘66, Laslett organised the first outdoor festival in the streets of Notting Hill. It was pitched as an event for local children, with the aim of easing tensions that had simmered in the area since the violent race riots of the ‘50s.

A celebration of West Indian culture, Notting Hill Carnival has grown into a vibrant explosion of sights, sounds and smells that blend the traditions of the Caribbean with the unique experiences of an oppressed immigrant community in specific pockets of London.

The aesthetic of the event is iconic, and the fashions on display are threaded with history and tradition. The intricate, larger-than-life costumes of the Mas bands - adorned with jewels, feathers and elaborate headdresses - pay homage to slavery in the 19th century, when these costumes would be used to mock white society. The outfits you see on the road are many months in the making, with dedicated volunteers coming together in Mas Camps to bring their designs to life.

Notting Hill Carnival means a huge amount to Caribbeans in the UK, and the descendants of Caribbeans - like me. My dad’s parents were Jamaican, travelling to the UK in the early ‘60s as part of the Windrush Generation. When my sister and I were little, Dad would pile us onto the train from Manchester and we would spend the weekend immersing ourselves in the culture, sucking on sugar cane and feasting on jerk chicken straight from the grills, blowing whistles and waving Jamaican flags as we weaved through the crowds.

And of course, we would dance. It was all about the music. Some of my earliest and fondest memories are of swaying on my dad’s shoulders, crawling along behind one of the floats as the bass jumped from the speakers and thudded into my chest like a heartbeat.

Music is the lifeblood that pulses through carnival, fanning out through the streets, lifting up towards the rooftops, infusing every breath with a pounding rhythm. At the first event in ‘66, Russell Henderson and his steel band set the tone by taking to the streets. Feeling that the stage set-up wasn’t dynamic enough for the spirit of their music, Henderson and his band went on an impromptu walkabout, and residents began following them, dancing as they meandered down Portobello Road - thus the tradition of procession began.

Live performances are also a big part of the carnival’s music scene. In ‘79, Wilf Walker organised the first stages, which were mainly for reggae and punk bands. Wilf, a carnival pioneer and former organiser, focused on emerging talent and offered platforms to Asward and Eddie Grant early in their careers. In the ‘90s and ‘00s, those same stages were graced by the likes of Destiny’s Child, Busta Rhymes and Jay Z, and more recently Stormzy, Giggs and Stefflon Don have taken their place in Notting Hill history.

Static sound systems became a staple feature of the event in ‘73, introduced by then organiser Leslie Palmer MBE. DJs and MCs with customised, bass-heavy speakers stacked to the heavens, modernised the celebrations and appealed to a younger audience. This emphasis on music may have been the biggest factor in the carnival’s exponential growth since the ‘50s, with a unique blend of reggae and ska, Latin and soca, house, drum’n’bass and grime, drawing audiences from every corner of the Caribbean diaspora, transcending generational divides.

Rampage is the carnival’s biggest sound system. Started in ‘93 when DJ founder Mike Anthony first took over Colville Terrace, Rampage has been known to host some of the hottest names on the scene - often catching the next big thing just before they blow up - and is famous for whipping up a chaotic frenzy. In ‘04, the crowd moved as one to try to rip a tree out of the ground when the DJ dropped Lethal Bizzle’s Pow!.

Another must-visit sound system for those in the know is Disya Jeneration, located on Powis Terrace. Running since ‘85, this collective has always been at the forefront of change, with pioneering co-founder Linett Kamala - now a carnival board member - becoming one of the first female DJs to play at carnival. They got their name from lyrics in Bob Marley’s Redemption Song, and are known for blending classic old-school vibes with the biggest party tunes that never fail to get the crowd jumping.

For those looking for real carnival lineage, The Rapattack Roadshow was established in 1984 with origins rooted in the Grenfell community. This year they’ll be playing a classic blend of ’70s, ’80s and ’90s vinyl to take you back to the origins of the event. Or head to the corner where Leamington Road Villas meets Westbourne Park Road to find Channel One, a reggae-based sound system that has been stationed in the same place every year since ‘79.

One thing is for certain - this year’s carnival is going to go off. Excitement is fizzing and the unspent energy of the last few years promises to spill over into something truly memorable.

Notting Hill Carnival takes place over Sunday the 27th of August and Monday the 28th of August.