Festivals

The summer festival season is over and our days of partying or watching bands, films and plays in the open air are numbered, but London's venues and institutions are still humming with cultural and community festivals. Here's our pick of the best

2009 marks the 45th anniversary of Notting Hill Carnival - get your festival gladrags on and immerse yourself in sequins and stalls for the annual Mas Parade and the carnival Soundsystems

Notting Hill Carnival is back for another year of food, parades and parties. Download our map and follow our guide to the festival's diverse Soundsystems

Time Out has teamed up with Get Loaded in the Park to bring you the biggest and best bank holiday bash

Whet your appetite for 2009's Get Loaded in the Park with the lowdown from the acts, including headliners Orbital

We're sure it's going to be a scorching summer in the heart of London - perfect festival weather! Make your way to Clapham Common for two days of eclectic adventures at South West Four and Get Loaded in the Park on Sat 29 and Sun 30 August, both in partnership with Time Out

Time Out is teaming up with London's biggest open-air dance festival once more to bring the most popular DJs on the planet to your backyard. Here's our essential South West Four guide

We'd like to suggest that festivals outside the UK might be, well, better since you get to go to a foreign country with nice food and weather, see some bands and swank about beforehand and afterwards as the epitome of modish sophistication