This weekend, the world’s (second) biggest party returns to the streets of west London for the first time since 2019. Notting Hill Carnival, a British summertime institution, attracted up to two million revelers each year before the pandemic stopped her IRL plans. A shift to the digital world failed to scratch the collective itch for a true carni experience and, three years on – with social distancing a distant memory in the UK – organizers are predicting a record turnout.
As always, the main carnival events fall on the Sunday and Monday of the August bank holiday weekend, with the former usually noted for its family-friendly feel. However, the unofficial start to this year’s festivities is being marked by the National Steelband Panorama Competition – the only ticketed part of the carnival – which starts from 4pm BST on Saturday 27 August.
As music festivals across the UK returned in droves this summer, tickets to some of the biggest and best were impossible to come by for most. Notting Hill Carnival, on the other hand, is a free-for-all, and music – the great equalizer – is at the heart of Carnival and the Caribbean culture it celebrates. Those heading down the three-and-a-half-mile route this year can expect to find all the familiar sights, sounds and smells that make the carnival so legendary. Fresh grilled chicken and ice-cold cans of Red Stripe will be blaring from a selection of 38 different static sound systems located around and just outside the main parade. Complimented are the inevitable pop-up street parties, hundreds of parade floats, horns, whistles and steel bands punctuated by a sea of dancing smiles and a kaleidoscope of intricately crafted costumes. Oh, and dancing police, if you’re lucky (we think?).
Some of the elusive acts returning this year include Channel One Sound System which marks its 40th year of bringing roots and culture to the masses; Deviation, the brainchild of London-born DJ and long-time Virgil Abloh collaborator Benji B, who will take over Killerwatt Sound System on Sunday; Rampage Sound, which is ramping up for another carnival stunt; and certified carnival institutions like Cecil Rennie’s sound system, better known as King Tubby’s, will return along with original dubmaster Aba Shanti I.
“Carnivals are an important milestone in the year that symbolizes the great influence of Caribbean culture in all its forms and influences.
Travel site Trippin has created a handy downloadable digital map featuring a curated selection of “the best sound system, stages, parties, food stalls, toilet access and safest spaces at Notting Hill Carnival”, which can also be used offline in case of poor cell tower reception. We’ve also heard that community greengrocer Trapfruits have linked up with another London-based, black-owned brand, BAYAB, for a special carnival collaboration. These will be distributed for free in secret locations throughout the weekend (so don’t expect to find them on Trippin’s map).
Rivaled in size only by Rio de Janeiro’s Carnaval, London’s Notting Hill Carnival is a colorful, three-day celebration of Caribbean culture that includes music to cuisine and everything in between. Since the late 1960s, the annual event has united generations of Brits (and beyond) through a shared love and appreciation of “island life” – albeit a slightly sunnier version than the British Isles are known for. This not only reflects the indelible influence of the UK’s Caribbean community on modern Britain, but speaks to the greater influence that black culture has had on the arts throughout the Western world in the last century.
But like similar celebrations born of strife – think Pride and the Stonewall Riots – Notting Hill Carnival is rooted in a slightly darker place: the 1958 race riots in its eponymous neighborhood saw a fascist mob of 300 to 400 people who attacked the West Indian of the neighborhood. residents and their homes. Post-war Britain was inevitably a period of great change, but the cultural changes that came with it could not be predicted: while Britain was on the winning side of the war, the British Empire was rapidly losing territory and, in 1948, British nationality. The Act gave Her Majesty’s colonial subjects the right to citizenship of the United Kingdom. Shortly afterwards, the SS Windrush Empire arrived at the port of Tilbury, near London, bringing with it the first Jamaican immigrants, many of whom settled in the then run-down west London quarter, after which it is named carnival. These two events would not only shape the United Kingdom, but perhaps popular culture as we know it today, influencing music, fashion, art and culture around the world.
“This is the biggest celebration of Caribbean culture”
Hypebeast spoke to several long-time carnival goers ahead of this weekend’s event, including London-born photographer Ollie Trenchard, whose work captures a side of carnival that most don’t: Arriving at dawn, he shadows some of the vendors and performers working behind the scenes is built to highlight the full spectrum of love that goes into creating Europe’s largest gathering of people. “The return of Notting Hill Carnival means everything! As a proud Bajan, this is the biggest celebration of Caribbean culture. It shows how she traversed all aspects of the UK from music to fashion and food. It’s such a unique event, it should be treasured.”
Leila Fataar, founder of the culture catalyst Platform 13, echoes this statement “(it is) where all I come together, regardless of age, color, background. Pure joy, pure vibrations. An important milestone in the year that symbolizes the great influence of Caribbean culture in all its forms and influences.”
As always, expect surprise guests throughout the weekend. In 1997, a young Jay-Z surprised fans with an unscheduled performance, and in 1999 a pre-Carter Beyonce Knowles performed with Destiny’s Child. Given the love shown to London by stars from across the pond, it shouldn’t be a stretch to think that some will make the trip for this year’s event.
In other news, adidas just released a special edition Carnival double pack consisting of a Samba and a Campus, two of the brand’s silhouettes long associated with dub culture, and Arsenal FC are releasing a re celebrating the club’s Jamaican supporters.
