Notting Hill Carnival: Exploring a Tradition

Notting Hill Carnival began in its original form - a street parade - in 1966. However, it was seven years earlier that an event sparked the need for such an event. In May 1959, 32-year old Antiguan born Kelso Cochrane was murdered in Notting Hill in a racially motivated attack. Reports suggest there were over 1000 mourners at his funeral, many attending to protest local racism. Just as Pride began as a commemoration of an unjust attack (in that case, the Stonewall Uprising in New York), the seeds of Notting Hill Carnival lay in the murder of Cochrane. 

In the years that followed, community members sought to ease racial tensions in the area. Activist Claudia Jones organised an indoor ‘Caribbean Carnival’ in the same year as Cochrane’s murder - though this was in North London, quite far from the Notting Hill area. Rhaune Laslett, a Notting Hill resident and community activist, organised a children’s street fayre in the mid 1960s in order to bring different communities - West Indian, African, Irish and more - together. This fayre, combined with Jones’ indoor events, all culminated in an outdoor street event in 1966. A steel pan band weaved its way down Portobello Road and locals, particularly those from the Caribbean community, began to dance in the street.

Fast forward almost 60 years and Notting Hill Carnival is second only to Rio’s Carnival in size, and is the largest street event in Europe. As well as the street parade, Notting Hill Carnival features several static stages which have been graced by such names as Jay Z, Stormzy, Major Lazer and Busta Rhymes in previous years. It is expected that around 1 million visitors will attend the 2024 event. 

The carnival takes place over three days. The focus of the Saturday is one of the largest steel pan competitions outside of the Caribbean. Open to steel bands across the UK, the competition sees seven bands play a ten minute composition from memory, with no sheet music allowed! The Sunday is aimed at families, with the children’s day parade taking centre stage. However, it’s certainly not tame - with dancing from sunrise until long after sunset through the streets. Coloured powder, paint and melted chocolate is all thrown around the crowd while people dance to mobile speakers. The music ranges from samba to house and if you’re not feeling the vibes at one stage, then there are plenty of options close-by! Monday is the climax of the festival, with the main parade and plenty more dancing. A particular highlight are the Mas bands - Masquerade bands - who create the costumes for the carnival and who perform on floats on the parade route. There are official judges to judge each Mas band with the winners announced at the end of the weekend. 

Other Carnivals

From Toronto, Canada to Lagos, Nigeria there are many carnivals around the world. Here we highlight a few…

UK 

It isn’t just London that has a carnival. The UK is home to several other big events which have been running for numerous years. St Paul’s Festival in Bristol began as a collaboration between local Black and Indian communities to share their culture, with dance performances and residents selling food from their gardens. Elsewhere, the Butetown Festival in Cardiff began when young Black people were banned from the Lord Mayor’s parade in the early 1970s.

Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago 

Taking place every February, this festival is the biggest in the Caribbean. Similarly to Notting Hill Carnival there are Mas bands, extravagant costumes, street food and lots of dancing.

Rio, Brazil

You can’t write about Carnival without mentioning Rio Carnival. The biggest in the world with millions of visitors across a week, Brazilians know how to throw a party. There is the official Sambodrome Parade, as well as many informal street parties and events. 

Tenerife, Spain

Taking place over a whopping nine days, this carnival encourages everyone to dress up and join in. Each year also sees the appointment of the Carnival Queen, where hopefuls parade on stage in glamorous and heavy costumes in the hope of winning the crown.

Luanda, Angola

With an often political edge, this festival in Angola is a sea of black, red and yellow, representing the national colours. Cancelled in the 1950s, the festival reemerged in 1976 when Angola evicted South Africa’s invading forces.

Barbados

This festival dates back 200 years to a celebration of the end of the sugarcane harvest season. As well as the street parade, there are also music competitions and visual art exhibitions.