'Influencers take over my street every week – and I love the free entertainment'

20 February 2024 , 10:10

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Bart often spots influencers photographing each other in the streets of Notting Hill (Image: @influencersinthewild / SWNS)

A man living in one of Notting Hill's most colourful streets says he enjoys the "free entertainment" provided by influencers and tourists flocking to the area.

Bart, who chose not to share his last name, reveals that hundreds of people visit his street weekly to capture the perfect Instagram or TikTok content. His videos show influencers prancing around the neighbourhood, lounging on doorsteps, setting off smoke bombs, and dancing in the street. The private street, often ranked among the top 10 most Instagrammable streets in Notting Hill, is lined with vibrant houses.

Bart has resided in the area for three years, but only started documenting the spectacle on TikTok earlier this month. He said: "On social media, we're often presented with highly curated snapshots of people's lives portraying seemingly picture-perfect moments, but what lies beyond the camera lens remains unseen. I figured this would be an angle of TikTok that people would enjoy, which has proven true so far."

While Bart acknowledges that some might find the situation irritating, he "loves the free entertainment." He added: "The lengths people go to for the perfect picture is quite amusing. The other day I saw someone skip down the street seven times with five cameras following him.

Bart says he lives in an influencer hotspot and his street is swarmed by hundreds of people posing for snaps every week (@influencersinthewild/SWNS)

"One of the videos shows a woman lying on her back next to a pile of rubbish that was waiting to be picked up by the bin men. It would annoy other people, I'm sure, but I actually view it purely as something to have a good laugh about."

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Inadvertently, Bart's TikTok account quickly became viral with his videos already accumulating millions of views. He said: "Living in a place like Notting Hill, you get a front row seat behind the comical process of capturing the 'perfect' shot."

Influencers filming a video in the street in Notting Hill (@influencersinthewild/SWNS)

"[They come to do] TikTok dances and modelling especially, and others come simply to take a picture of a colourful street."

Leo Black