Not even 10 minutes by metro from Victoria Station there is a community where colours, sounds, flavours make you catapult into a completely new and exotic world. This is precisely the largest Afro-Caribbean London community. As soon as you immerse yourself in the local markets and in the heart of the community to the rhythm of the reggae music that resounds from the locals, you can only understand the artistic, creative and cultural uniqueness. Not surprisingly, people like Bob Marley, David Bowie, Van Gogh, Charlie Chaplin have lived in this area. But what makes Brixton so unique and unexpected?
Surely the first thing you notice is the huge amount of local markets and shops. From super-coloured fabrics, fruit and vegetable stand, to the largest selection of butchers and fishmongers you can find in the area, to numerous wig and hairdresser shops, the Brixton markets offer a wide selection of local and Caribbean products. From Brixton Station Road, to the famous Electric Avenue, to Pop Brixton (made up of cargo containers, now an interesting recreational space where you can find live music, street food, restaurants and even the People's Fridge, an interesting sustainable project to allow activities local to leave the excess food available for those in need in a fridge, at the Village Market, at the Row Market the choice is very wide.
And it is right inside one of the covered markets, the Market Row, exactly next to the first Franco Manca opened in London, that you will find a very particular distributor: the distributor of the local currency. Oh yes, Brixton has its own currency: the Brixton Pound. The colours of the neighbourhood are reflected in the lively banknotes, which depict the characters and symbols of the place. From David Bowie to Vincent Van Gogh (present in the first £ 20 put up for sale). As well as being a souvenir to take home, Brixton Pound allows you to get great discounts on over 250 businesses in the area.
For lovers of street art, however, Brixton is certainly an inevitable stop. Unlike neighbourhoods like Shoreditch or Brick Lane where graffiti changes constantly, in Brixton you will find both current graffiti depicting important local icons or not, including David Bowie and Michelle Obama, but above all, you find the highest concentration of historical murals dating back to the 1980s. These murals celebrate the history and symbols of the community itself. From the "Children at Play" that symbolizes the multiculturalism of the area, to the "Nuclear Dawn" that talks about the cold war with a huge skeleton walking on London, to the two murals that are in the station that represent the two main markets of food and local products, to the beautiful murals of the Effra river, one of the many lost rivers, lost rivers that still flow below us but no longer visible.
And finally, how not to talk about music. Brixton is certainly a true mecca of London and international music. A fusion of 70s-80s music and reggae and Calypsonian music. You may want to discover Brixton to the rhythm of all this music. From the home of David Bowie, next to one of the most beautiful skate parks in London, to the iconic Brixton Academy, where the most important names on the world music scene played, to Bob Marley and The Clash, to Pink Floyd, to more modern artists like Adele o Robbie Williams, get ready for a real journey into London and Afro-Caribbean music. Furthermore, for nature lovers, 10 minutes walk from Brixton there is a beautiful park. Between an outdoor pool, ponds, hidden gardens and a huge amount of sporting activities available (from BMX circuits to tennis, to basketball) this park is an oasis of peace and tranquillity from which you can also enjoy a panoramic view beautiful all over London.