Notting Hill Carnival app arrives on iOS and Android
The official Notting Hill Carnival app for iOS and Android will help you find your way around this year's event, and locate the toilets.
One love! If you're heading to the Notting Hill Carnival this weekend, this could be the app for you. The Notting Hill Carnival App helps you find your way around the route, and is available now on iOS and Android.
The app has been available before, but has been completely redesigned for this year's festivities.
Its crowning glory? It uses GPS instead of your data connection, just like a satnav, with the map for the area built in. The people behind it claim this makes it more reliable than Google Maps, though I haven't tested it for myself, so can't verify that.
The app also shows where the sound systems are, how to get to them, and what genres of music they'll be playing. It'll point out the nearest tube stations, and you can zoom out and see the whole carnival route. It'll also help you find the food stalls, the ambulance services, and -- lifesaver -- the toilets.
The latest version has an average of four and a half stars out of five on iOS, from seven reviews. But just one person has rated it on Android, giving it a paltry one star. The app will set you back 69p on both iOS and Android.
More than a million people are expected to attend this year's carnival. It takes place on Sunday and Monday. It started way back in 1966, and was originally led by members of the West Indian migrant community, mostly from Trinidad and Tobago. For more info, check out the official site.
Have you taken the app for a spin? What do you make of it? Is it more reliable than Google Maps? And have you ever had much luck with apps for one-off events, or are you better off sticking with the big names? Let me know in the comments below, or over on our sound system Facebook page.