Why we need the Notting Hill Carnival

It’s the late August Bank Holiday weekend. You are walking through the streets of Notting Hill, there are no steel pans, no flamboyant costumes and the sweet aroma of West Indian foods does not fill the air. Carnival has been cancelled!

As unimaginable as it sounds, Notting Hill Carnival is in jeopardy after two of the co-directors resigned. The departure of Chris Boothman and Ancil Barclay came after the two volunteers decided that they could no longer carry on supporting the event.

Ancil Barclay said,

“It is still seen as just a Caribbean event and just not taken seriously. Carnival has to grow up. Everyone loves carnival, but when it comes to putting the right structures in place there is a total lack of investment.”

Notting Hill started as an event in the St Pancras Town Hall in 1959. Since then it has become the biggest street carnival in Europe, second only to the Rio De Janeiro Carnival in Brazil. Claudia Jones, hailed as the Mother of Notting Hill Carnival started Carnival to ease the racial tension caused by the Notting Hill race riots of 1958. Today, the Carnival which celebrates Caribbean culture is an event for all races, ages and class of people. It’s original message of unity still dominant throughout.

It is therefore disappointing that this event, which promotes togetherness, is disintegrating internally, due to a string of disagreements. As the Carnival has expanded and attracted more people the trouble has escalated also.

The organisers of Notting Hill have had an abundance of disputes with the authorities over the years in which the Carnival has been running. Meaning it is impossible to ensure everyone’s happiness. Whilst the organisers want people to have as much fun as possible, they have to ensure people’s safety.

Another problem for Notting Hill Carnival is that there is no governing body and no official sponsors that push it forward. Barclay said,

“Most people don't realise this whole thing has been run by two unpaid volunteers. It should be a wake-up call: if you value the Notting Hill carnival, then invest in it.”

And rightly so, Notting Hill Carnival already attracts over one million people every year. There are sound systems for miles playing different genres of music; Calyspo, Soca and Reggae from the Caribbean as well as Garage, Afro Beats and Hip Hop. With the right support and sponsorship, Notting Hill Carnival could be bigger than what it already is.

Shanade Johnson