A career-best seven-goal effort from Lindsay Thomas helped the Roos to their second straight win, 14.13 (97) to 10.8 (68), to keep them in touch with the teams circling the top half of the table.
The win was influenced by strong games from Scott McMahon and Scott Thompson, while Andrew Swallow and Ed Lower were important in the clearances.
Eddie Betts was a key forward target with five goals while Chris Judd, Marc Murphy and Richard Hadley enjoyed productive nights through the midfield.
It could also prove a costly loss for Carlton with Betts, Mitch Robinson and Judd all limping off late in the game.
Kangaroos coach Brad Scott said it was an enormous win for the club in front of its biggest home crowd for the year.
"For the stage of the season, going into the game with five wins and six losses, it was a really important game for us," he said.
"As a celebration of 25 years of Friday night footy, it was a really big occasion for the club.
"To get a win like that is just fantastic for our supporters. They really turned out tonight and we were really rapt with the support we had.
"I was just really happy the players were able to go out and perform like that."
Pyrotechnics, tributes to North Melbourne legends and a performance by John Paul Young kicked off the match to mark the 25-year milestone in front of 43,732 fans.
And it was the Roos that kept the electricity flowing early with another stellar start putting them 27 points clear in the first before Eddie Betts opened the Blues' account - deep in junk time - to pull the margin back to 21 at quarter time.
After the first term, a shell-shocked Brett Ratten moved Jordan Russell on to Thomas in the second and pushed Bryce Gibbs into the midfield, with the latter move paying bigger dividends.
After the first two goals of the term went to Ben Warren and Ryan Bastinac, the midfield work of Gibbs, Marc Murphy and Chris Judd shifted the momentum.
Five straight Carlton goals chopped the margin to 10 points before a late major to Thomas put the Roos back to a 17-point buffer for halftime.
An animated Ratten huddled his side together on the field before taking them in for the break but his words failed to inspire the Blues early in the third term as North again started strongly with goals to Hamish McIntosh and Sam Wright
However, the Blues fought back again, booting the next four after another swing in midfield dominance.
Thomas' fifth goal increased the margin after the Blues moved within eight points and the Roos took a 13-point lead into the final stanza after Jarrad Waite missed a shot at his fourth goal.
The Blues then failed to kick a goal in the last quarter with the Roos adding another three to seal a convincing win - Thomas easily best afield with 12 scoring shots.
Meanwhile, Ratten was less enthused by the result and lamented an early lack in intensity and skills.
"It was one that got away. Full credit to North Melbourne - they had a big night, a Friday night game - and they delivered. They outplayed us."
North Melbourne 4.5 8.8 11.11 14.13 (97)
Carlton 1.5 6.3 10.4 10.8 (68)
GOALS
North Melbourne: Thomas 7, Bastinac 2, Warren 2, Harvey, McIntosh, Wright
Carlton: Betts 5, Waite 3, Kreuzer, O'hAilpin,
BEST
North Melbourne: Thomas, Thompson, Warren, McMahon, Bastinac, Firrito
Carlton: Betts, Gibbs, Murphy, Judd, Simpson, Hadley
INJURIES
North Melbourne: Nil
Carlton: Betts (left knee)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Farmer, Kennedy, McLaren
Official crowd: 43,732 at Etihad Stadium
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
