Pearly King and Queen in attendance at 1948 Hoxton street party

Carnival has a certain pump and grind charm, but for me the street party last weekend was the Hoxton 1948 street party last Sunday.  Evoking the last time London saw the Olympics, the Pearly King and Queen of Tower Hamlets were there in all their regalia, while girls with 1940’s swept up hairdos and swing dance maestros took to the harlequin dance floor to show off their moves.

Mum had a fruit punch and gave me the inside low-down on the various dance techniques (her and my Nana were Enfield’s jazz dance trophy winners in the 1960’s.  One couple were dancing differently from the swing style others with their floral print dresses and correspondent shoes, this couple were older and more swirly: ‘that’s trad jazz darling, like we used to dance at Wood Green jazz club’…  I was enchanted and wished that techno and raving had given me these memories to smile back at over a rum punch special.