LONDON

Notting Hill Carnival

A celebration of Identity

Deanna Harrison

Each year on August Bank Holiday weekend, Notting Hill comes alive in a spectacular celebration of Caribbean Culture. Fun and vibrance are at the heart of the carnival: throughout the weekend you can expect to see miles of colourful floats, extravagant outfits and lots of dancing. There’s plenty of music catering to all tastes: Reggae, Samba, Blues, Dub, Calypso, Brazilian Samba and many more genres across the various sound systems and live stages. There are over 300 stalls serving delicious food where you can pick up some Jamaican Jerk Chicken or Trinidadian roti.

The celebrations have grown significantly- the first carnival in 1966 had just under 500 people attending! Now, millions come to the event, and it is Europe’s largest street festival.

The origins go as far back as the 19th century to Trinidad- where the enslaved were forbidden from masquerade balls held by French plantation owners. In response, the African population developed their own traditions. They replicated costumes with natural products and used steel pans rather than drums, which they had been banned from using. They celebrated in their own way through traditional dancing, music and satirising the slave owners. The festivities continued after their emancipation in 1838. Today, Notting Hill Carnival draws on these traditions and celebrates freedom whilst preserving important elements of culture.

So why did carnival start in Notting Hill? Tension in the area had been increasing throughout the 1950s. The UK’s new welfare state needed workers, so the government implemented the British Nationality Act. The legislation invited the populations from former colonies to work and become citizens. More than 300,000 of those who came to the UK were from the Caribbean. Many settled in Notting Hill and Brixton, where they were subject to racism, discrimination and violence by their white neighbours.

This escalated into the Notting Hill Race Riots of 1958, where white gangs known as the teddy boys launched an attack on the black community. The rioting lasted almost two weeks, and many were injured and arrested.

Glodi Meissi on Unsplash

In response, Claudia Jones (a Trinidadian human rights activist) laid the foundations for carnival. In 1959 she set up a small-scale event in St Pancras town hall to highlight solidarity and strength within the Caribbean communities. The event was taken outside by Rhaune Laslett and Andre Shervington seven years later. Their aim was to entertain local children as well as getting the residents involved. With the introduction of a procession and steel pan by Russell Henderson, Notting Hill Carnival was born.

Today, up to two million people attend each year and it contributes significantly to London’s economy. It’s a weekend filled with people coming together to dance, eat good food and celebrate. But its increasing popularity has led to some new concerns.

Commercialisation has become a significant problem. According to Fiona Compton, a historian and a carnival ambassador, these brands are often unaware of the context behind the event and just want to make profit. Another issue is the gentrification of Notting Hill, which has led to excessive policing. This has been a problem since the 70s, where the media attempted to link the event to crime and disorder. Things haven’t seemed to change much; in 2014, Stormzy (who was performing that year) responded to a tweet by the Metropolitan Police. They mentioned the carnival alongside an unrelated drug seizure. Stormzy called out the hypocrisy and highlighted that these types of comments seemed reserved only for black events.

Funding has also been a challenge. Ansel Wong, the former chair of the Notting Hill Carnival Board, highlighted the lack of government financial support prior to the pandemic, making the past two years particularly hard hitting. The cancellations and move to an online format meant that performers have struggled a lot financially. However, the 2022 dates are set, and Notting Hill Carnival will take place once again from the 27th to the 29th of August.

Despite the challenges faced over the years, it is widely acknowledged that carnival is integral to London. It is rooted in rebellion, emancipation and taking pride in identity. Notting Hill Carnival is more than just a street festival- it’s a celebration of culture, and a way of keeping traditions alive. After two years of cancellations, you can expect the carnival to return even louder and livelier than before!