Notting Hill Carnival - a celebration of Caribbean Culture

The Notting Hill Carnival in London is billed as the largest street carnival to rival the main carnival held in Brazil. Each year, for two days in August the streets around one of London’s bohemian and wealthy areas comes to a complete standstill as locals vacate to make way for millions of tourists and others to come down and watch the colourful spectacle that is the Notting Hill Carnival.

The origins of the carnival date back to 1959 when the first Notting Hill Carnival was held in response to the racial tensions prevalent at the time. It was at that time that Claudia Jones, a Trinidadian journalist and political activist, now widely recognised as the “Mother of the Carnival” decided to organise the first Notting Hill Carnival. Despite being held indoors the first carnival was hailed as a huge success. In 1966, inspired by the Hippy movement and the London Free School, the carnival was held outdoors and its aim was to promote cultural unity. With the inclusion of steel bands that went on a walkabout the street party turned into a carnival procession.

The sounds and sights of a steel band  playing on the streets in England was a first and it is widely believed that it united the minority populations and laid the foundations for the carnival procession seen today.  The present day Carnival winds its way through the labyrinth of streets of Notting Hill on floats decked with steel pan bands and dancers clad in exotic and sometimes revealing costumes. Not wanting to be left out members of the African community and other minority communities too have floats depicting aspects of their culture and music.
The organisers estimate that over one million man hours are spend preparing bands for Carnival with over 20 million sequins being sewn to all of the costumes, 15,000 feather plumes and 30 litres of decorative body paints used over carnival weekend.

The Carnival although at times has attracted negative press has blossomed into one of the biggest celebrations in the Caribbean community calender.  Now the carnival attracts in excess of 50,000 performers and over two million people over the Carnival weekend which is held traditionally on Bank Holiday Monday.

In addition to the gaily decorated floats and colourful costumes West Indian street food stalls sell a variety of traditional food. Smells of Jerk Chicken,  rice and peas, fried plantain and saltfish and ackee  pervade the air.

Pumping sounds ranging from  reggae to jazz, soca, dub and calypso the music at Carnival is wide and varied. The costumes are spectacular and elaborate and one can only wonder how the wearer carries it while walking along the circuitous carnival route. Children too form an integral part of the carnival with Sunday dedicated as Children’s day.

This year Notting Hill Carnival will be held on 24th and 25th of August. If you cannot get to the legendary carnival in Rio, then London’s Notting Hill Carnival is the next best thing.

Text and pics by Tina Edward Gunawardhana