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58-802: The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual Caribbean Carnival event that has taken place in London since 1966 on the streets of the Notting Hill area of Kensington , over the August Bank Holiday weekend. It is led by members of the British Caribbean community, and attracts around two million people annually, making it one of the world's largest street festivals, and a significant event in British African Caribbean and British Indo-Caribbean culture. In 2006,

116-434: A 32-year-old female who was stabbed and a 41-year-old male who was assaulted. During the 2024 Festival, 334 people were arrested and eight people were stabbed, with three left with life-threatening conditions. Two people died following two separate attacks during the carnival. Despite its reputation for crime, Notting Hill Carnival arrests as a proportion of attendance is comparable to many other large events and festivals in

174-529: A Notting Hill Carnival illustrated guide was created by official city guide to London visitlondon.com. The infographic includes Carnival tips, transport information and a route map. The book Carnival: A Photographic and Testimonial History of the Notting Hill Carnival , by Ishmahil Blagrove and Margaret Busby , was also published in August 2014 by Rice N Peas. In 2015, there was controversy when

232-407: A broadcaster through his work with the groundbreaking BBC Radio London programme Black Londoners , first aired on 22 November 1974, which he fronted for 14 years: "It began once a month, then once a week and within a couple of years we were broadcasting every day." Britain's first daily Black radio magazine programme, the hour-long Black Londoners – "half phone-in and half news content each day" –

290-822: A federation of European carnivals. In 1986, Pascall was appointed the National Coordinator for "Caribbean Focus 86", a festival of arts and culture, in association with the Commonwealth Institute in London and CARICOM governments. It was the first national festival to showcase Caribbean peoples' contributions in British lifestyle. Pascall worked on "Caribbean Express '86", a cultural exhibition train that travelled to 18 cities in Britain in 21 days, running educational workshops. Pascall has frequently spoken out on issues particularly affecting

348-533: A million people attending a small inner-city residential area, quoting the Met Police spokesman Dave Musker, who in November 2016 said: "Each year … we come exceptionally close to a major catastrophic failure of public safety where members of the public will suffer serious injury." In the three weeks running up to the 2017 event, the police made 656 arrests, a pre-emptive crackdown. There were 313 arrests during

406-420: A multi-media and multi-sensory event" (Ferrara 132). This mixture of percussion, with emphasis on the beat and rhythm, leads to the extreme dancing in the streets for which Carnival is known, with citizens participating to the beat of the music, using mud and paint, dancing with the lower parts of the body. Henriques and Ferrara explain that people emphasize the "baseness" of the music, with everything being about

464-434: A peak of coverage in the years of 2003 and 2004), and on BBC Radio 1Xtra in more recent years. Since the carnival did not have local authority permission, initial police involvement was aimed at preventing it taking place at all, which resulted in regular confrontation and riots. In 1976, the police had been expecting hostility due to what they deemed as trouble the year before. Consequently, after discovering pickpockets in

522-649: A plantation on the island of Grenada and Big Pit Colliery in South Wales , revolves around the history of the sugar and coal industries and was first presented in 2001 by Gwent Theatre. Pascall was also involved in pioneering the "Roots to Torfaen " local history project, "to encourage pupils, parents and community members to explore their roots, celebrate cultural diversity in their area and discover global links." Alex Pascall and his wife Joyce have lived in Crouch Hill , London, since 1959. Their daughter Deirdre

580-474: A singer songwriter. Pascall is also a playwright, oral historian and cultural strategist, teaching, performing and promoting Caribbean music and history to people of all ages in schools, universities, libraries and communities. He has written and documented material to respond to the need to make Caribbean folk arts widely accessible and holds a large historical archive spanning over five decades of Black presence in Britain." His play Common Threads , set within

638-572: Is an arts educator, composer for film, professional cellist and pianist. Their son Ayandele is a film editor. Alex Pascall was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1996 for services to community relations. At a civic reception given by Islington Council on the day Pascall received his OBE, Sir Shridath (Sonny) Ramphal paid tribute to him as a "cultural 'guru' for Caribbean people in Britain who has spent 35 years as

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696-485: Is generally viewed very positively by the authorities as a dynamic celebration of London's multicultural diversity, though dominated by the Caribbean culture. However, there has been controversy over the public safety aspects of holding such a well-attended event in narrow streets in a small area of London. In 2017, local Conservative MP Victoria Borwick commissioned a survey of Kensington and Chelsea residents, with

754-471: Is held on the first Saturday of August to commemorate the abolition of the slave trade on August 1, 1838. Alex Pascall Alex Pascall , OBE (born November 1936), is a British broadcaster, journalist, musician, composer, oral historian and educator. Based in Britain for more than 50 years, he was one of the developers of the Notting Hill Carnival , is a political campaigner and

812-559: Is not alien to British culture. Bartholomew Fair and Southwark Fair in the 18th century were moments of great festivity and release. There was juggling, pickpocketing, whoring, drinking, masquerade – people dressed up as the Archbishop of Canterbury and indulged in vulgar acts. It allowed people a space to free-up but it was banned for moral reasons and for the antiauthoritarian behaviour that went on like stoning of constables. Carnival allowed people to dramatise their grievances against

870-582: The Evening Standard reporting that "Nine out of ten residents living along the route of the Notting Hill Carnival flee their homes to escape the 'frightening and intimidating' event." In 2016 there were over 450 arrests, and five people were hurt in four knife attacks; however, the commander in charge of policing carnival, David Musker, said that the number of arrests had been inflated by the new Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 . Based on relative attendance figures, it has been said that crime rates for

928-652: The Mighty Sparrow . Pascall has paid tribute to the role of his late colleague Barry Clayton in the programme's genesis: Among others who worked with Pascall on Black Londoners were Juliet Alexander , Syd Burke and Mike Phillips . In 1994, Pascall presented A Different Rhythm , an eight-part BBC Radio 3 series produced by Clayton and Nick Hughes, on the impact of the black presence on British music and musicians. Other notable documentary features that Pascall has researched and presented include Caribbean Cocktail on BBC Radio 2 (1994), They Came Before

986-656: The Mighty Terror singing the calypso "Carnival at St Pancras", The Southlanders , Cleo Laine , the Trinidad All Stars and Hi–fi steel bands dance troupe, finishing with a Caribbean Carnival Queen beauty contest and a Grand Finale Jump-Up by West Indians who attended the event. Another important strand was the " hippie " London Free School -inspired festival in Notting Hill that became the first organised outside event, in August 1966. The prime mover

1044-593: The Moko Jumbie and Dame Lorraine , adding to the vibrant celebrations. Although there are similar celebrations, not every Caribbean Carnival adopts the name "Carnival". For instance, in the Bahamas, Junkanoo commemorates the emancipations of slavery since 1884 through lively parades. Barbados hosts the Crop Over Festival, dating back to the 17th century, honoring successful sugar cane harvests at

1102-706: The Police Federation pressed for the introduction of riot shields to protect police from objects thrown at them, although the shields also had the potential for aggressive use, as in 1977. A change of policy came after a confrontation in 1987, when the Carnival was allowed to take place with police adopting a more conciliatory approach. During the 2000 Carnival, two men were murdered; and future policing, while conciliatory, resulted in police deployment in large numbers: upwards of 11,000. The Mayor of London 's Carnival Review Group's report (published in 2004,) led to

1160-534: The "bottom": the ground, the bottom of the body, and the bottom of the beat. The festival uses influences from the Jamaican dancehalls and British clubs, and the music is made loud enough for participants to feel the beat. The vibrations from the speakers allow people to better connect with the ground and bring their experience to another level. The authors of the same article further explain how Notting Hill Carnival also creates "territory". The parade route portion of

1218-581: The Caribbean, excluding African slaves and hosting lavish masquerade balls. After emancipation, freed African slaves transformed the festival into a celebration of freedom, blending African heritage and Caribbean Creole culture . In 1834, the Caribbean festival took root in Trinidad and Tobago, when French settlers brought the Fat Tuesday masquerade tradition to the island. It soon became a vibrant celebration, blending Creole Canboulay festivities with

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1276-546: The Carnival Trust charged journalists £100 to cover the event, and demanded copies of all work produced relating to the event within three weeks of the end of the Carnival. The National Union of Journalists organised a boycott of the event. In 2016 the charge remained; however, in June 2017, the Carnival's new event management team introduced a revised media policy, with no request for any accreditation fees. In 2016, when

1334-445: The Carnival is where carnival floats play both recorded and live music and circulate the street, visualizing the boundaries of Carnival and marking its territory. The circulating movement of the Carnival parade is also an extending of space through sound. Territorializing the space through sounds of African beats, such as the pan, fosters a sense of identity and unity for the overall Carnival. The Carnival further diversified in 1984 with

1392-518: The Early Years landmark children's TV series Teletubbies and BBC Schools . On Boxing Day 2015, Pascall launched an online radio show called Alex Pascall's Londoners on Good Vibes Radio. In 1982 Pascall co-founded with Val McCalla Britain's first national weekly Black British newspaper The Voice , utilising Pascall's media connections as presenter of the BBC programme Black Londoners ;

1450-639: The European masquerade, eventually evolving into the modern Caribbean Carnival. At its start, formerly enslaved individuals expressed their freedom through music, clothing, and dance, leading to the dynamic fusion of African influences and Creole culture. Carnival traditions differ across islands, typically consisting of activities like playing Mas ( masquerade ), the selection of a King and Queen, and reveling in diverse Caribbean music styles like calypso , jam-band, steelpan , and soca . Pre-carnival festivities such as J'ouvert feature cultural characters such as

1508-580: The Golden Jubilee of Notting Hill Carnival was celebrated, 42 hours of live video coverage was broadcast by music live-streaming platform Boiler Room from the Rampage, Deviation, Aba Shanti-I, Channel One, Nasty Love, Saxon Sound, King Tubbys, Gladdy Wax and Disya Jeneration soundsystems. The 2020 carnival was cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic , although free live-streamed events were shown online across four channels. On 18 June 2021, it

1566-544: The Notting Hill Carnival and for Glastonbury or other music festivals are comparable, and Ishmahil Blagrove, co-author of the book Carnival: A Photographic and Testimonial History of the Notting Hill Carnival , states: "Notting Hill Carnival, compared to Trinidad or Brazil , is one of the safest in the world." A report in 2004 by the GLA Policing Policy Director, Lee Jasper , criticised authorities for not addressing safety issues involved in over

1624-782: The Notting Hill Carnival was run by a limited company , the Notting Hill Carnival Trust Ltd. A report by the London Development Agency on the 2002 Carnival estimated that the event contributed around £93 million to the London and UK economy , set against an estimated £6–10 million costs. However, the 2016 residents' survey commissioned by local Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) Victoria Borwick found that while 6% of businesses reported an upturn in trade, many others boarded up their shopfronts and lost business due to closure. For 2014,

1682-609: The Russell Henderson Combo and Selwyn Baptiste 's Notting Hill Adventure Playground Steelband and 500 dancing spectators." Duke Vin , full name Vincent George Forbes, is credited as being a co-founder of Notting Hill Carnival, having brought the first sound system to the United Kingdom in 1955 when he was a stowaway on a ship from Jamaica to the United Kingdom, and brought what is thought to be

1740-682: The Tickler's", every year from the year it was founded until his death in 2012. Emslie Horniman's Pleasance (in the Kensal Green district of the area), has been the carnival's traditional starting point. Among the early bands to participate were Ebony Steelband and Metronomes Steelband. As the carnival had no permanent staff and head office, the Mangrove restaurant in Notting Hill, run by another Trinidadian, Frank Crichlow , came to function as an informal communication hub and office address for

1798-472: The UK for more than five decades. Early on he involved himself with music and his group The Alex Pascall Singers, founded in the 1960s, is reportedly the first known multi-cultural choir in London. A former member of the group, Jacques Compton, recalls about Pascall that "in addition to being a very excellent drummer and singer, he was also a composer of some excellent songs." Pascall gained national prominence as

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1856-508: The UK public voted it onto a list of icons of England. The roots of the Notting Hill Carnival that took shape in the mid-1960s had two separate but connected strands. A "Caribbean Carnival" was held on 30 January 1959 in St Pancras Town Hall as a response to the problematic state of race relations at the time; the UK's first widespread racial attacks, the Notting Hill race riots in which 108 people were charged, had occurred

1914-530: The UK. Transport for London run special limited-stop bus services from South London to the Carnival area: Some London Underground stations are closed or are exit-only to ease congestion. 51°30′48″N 0°12′15″W  /  51.5132°N 0.2043°W  / 51.5132; -0.2043 Caribbean Carnival It stems from a pagan holiday, later adopted by the Roman Catholic Church as Carne Vale . European slave traders brought it to

1972-551: The Windrush on BBC Radio 4 , produced by Marina Salandy-Brown , Alex Pascall's Caribbean Folk Music (1995), Let the Music Talk (24 June 1981) on Radio 2, produced by David Corser, Sophisticated Ladies (1997, Radio 4), a celebration of Black female stars of British musical theatre since the 1850s, Cricket Calypsos (25 July 1991 on Radio 3) and World War Calypso . Pascall is also well known for his compositions for

2030-1053: The appearance of the London School of Samba. Formed in that year, they were the first samba school in the UK and have paraded every year since (with the exception of 1992). Other samba schools have also paraded in Carnival, notably Acadêmicos de Madureira (1992–94), Quilombo do Samba (1993–2006) and the Paraiso School of Samba (since 2002). These groups are also notable as they sometimes parade with more than 200 performers, along with several decorated floats. Many carnival artists who created costumes and floats for bands and Samba Schools have left their mark, among them: Clary Salandy of Mohogany Carnival, Carl Gabriel and Ray Mahabir. Compared to other major music and art events such as Glastonbury Festival , Notting Hill Carnival has historically struggled to gain any live coverage outside of local media. The majority of carnival live broadcasts have been traditionally on BBC London radio (hitting

2088-418: The authorities on the street... Notting Hill Carnival single-handedly revived this tradition and is a great contribution to British cultural life ." This huge street festival attracts around one million people every year to Notting Hill and highlights Caribbean and Black diasporic cultures. Carnival uses influences from many other festivals around the world. Authors Julian Henriques and Beatrice Ferrara claim

2146-826: The black community. He has been chair of the Black Members' Council of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), a member of the Commonwealth Institute Education Advisory Committee, and a Trustee of The Tabernacle Arts and Community Centre in Notting Hill . Pascall is a Member of Honour of the NUJ. As an inspirational key note speaker and educator, he makes frequent appearances for university lectures, live events internationally, community engagement projects and appearances for schools. On occasion he still performs as

2204-472: The bridge between the two cultures of carnival, reggae and calypso." "Notting Hill Carnival became a major festival in 1975 when it was organised by a young teacher, Leslie Palmer." The carnival was also popularised by live radio broadcasts by Pascall on his daily Black Londoners programme for BBC Radio London . By 1976, the event had become definitely Caribbean in flavour, with around 150,000 people attending. However, in that year and several subsequent years,

2262-409: The carnival was marred by riots, in which predominantly Caribbean youths fought with police – a target due to the continuous harassment the population felt they were under. During this period, there was considerable press coverage of the disorder, which some felt took an unfairly negative and one-sided view of the carnival. For a while it looked as if the event would be banned. Prince Charles was one of

2320-533: The carnival's organisers. Leslie Palmer , who was director from 1973 to 1975, is credited with "getting sponsorship, recruiting more steel bands, reggae groups and sound systems, introducing generators and extending the route." He encouraged traditional masquerade, and for the first time in 1973 costume bands and steel bands from the various islands took part in the street parade, alongside the introduction of stationary sound systems, as distinct from those on moving floats, which, as Alex Pascall has explained, "created

2378-417: The crowd, police took a heavy-handed approach against the large congregation of black people and it became "no-man's land". The 1600-strong police force violently broke up the carnival, with the arrest of 60 people. In the aftermath of the event, the carnival was portrayed in a very pointed way, with those aiding the riots lumped together as the "trouble-makers" responsible. After the 1976 Notting Hill Carnival

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2436-597: The end of July. Approximate dates are given for the concluding festivities. Carnival season may last for more than a month prior to the concluding festivities, and the exact dates vary from year to year. A unique attraction distinguishing this Caribbean event is its location. This dynamic, exciting event features some of the best Canadian and international Caribbean performers in music, dance, costumes, and world drumming. Events are held from Friday to Sunday throughout every third weekend of August. The Grand Parade in Toronto

2494-652: The event, 30 police officers were injured in the line of duty, 36 weapons were confiscated and 373 arrests were made by the Metropolitan Police Service . Since 1987 there have been eight deaths related to violence at carnival: Michael Augustine Galvin (23) on 30 August 1987, Nicholas John Hanscomb (38) on 26 August 1991, Greg Fitzgerald Watson (21) on 28 August 2000, Abdul Munam Bhatti (28) on 28 August 2000, Lee Christopher Surbaran (27) on 30 August 2004, Takayo Nembhard (also known as rapper TKorStretch, 21) on 29 August 2022 and two deaths during NHC 2024 -

2552-664: The festival draws mainly on the Trinidad Carnival as well as Crop Over , Canadian Caribana in Toronto and the US Labor Day Festival in Brooklyn. They also explain that Notting Hill Carnival is dually influenced by its diasporic cultures and its own country's influences. Henriques and Ferrara claim: "Carnival also has an explosive auditory impact due to its cacophony of sounds, in which soca , steel bands, calypso floats and sound systems mix and mingle in

2610-489: The few establishment figures who supported the event. Leila Hassan campaigned for Arts Council England to recognise the Notting Hill Carnival as an art form. Since 1978 the national Panorama competition is held on the Saturday preceding the carnival. Concerns about the size of the event resulted in London's then mayor, Ken Livingstone , setting up a Carnival Review Group to look into "formulating guidelines to safeguard

2668-715: The first black daily radio show in British history. Born on the island of Grenada in the Eastern Caribbean , Pascall was the eldest son in a family of 10. He travelled to Britain as a 22-year-old in 1959, having represented his country as a musician the previous year in the Bee Wee Ballet Dance Troupe at the inauguration of the Federation of the West Indies . He had originally intended to return home after five years but has remained in

2726-459: The first issue of The Voice coincided with the Notting Hill Carnival that year. From 1984 to 1989 Pascall was chairman of the Carnival and Arts Committee of the Notting Hill Carnival . Committed to internationalising Caribbean cultural developments in Britain, he also served as the founding vice-president and national representative of the Foundation for European Carnival Cities (FECC) –

2784-468: The future of the Carnival". An interim report by the review resulted in a change to the route in 2002. When the full report was published in 2004, it recommended that Hyde Park be used as a "savannah" (an open space to draw crowds away from residential areas), though the proposal of such a move attracted concerns, including that the Hyde Park event might overshadow the original street carnival. In 2003,

2842-450: The local economy. Although the 2011 Carnival was at risk of being cancelled in the wake of the early August riots in the UK that year , it was seen as being relatively peaceful. Five people were arrested for a stabbing at Ladbroke Grove . The victim was one of 86 people who were taken to hospital. In total 245 people were detained by police over the two days of the carnival. In recent years, there has been much less serious trouble, and it

2900-544: The parades taking a circular rather than linear route, but a recommendation to relocate the event in Hyde Park has been resisted. Some crimes associated with the carnival have taken place on its periphery: in 2007, two teenagers were wounded in separate shooting incidents just outside the carnival area on the Monday evening; however, police said there had been a decline in the number of carnival-linked arrests in comparison with

2958-516: The previous year. The 1959 event, held indoors and televised by the BBC , was organised by the Trinidadian journalist and activist Claudia Jones , often described as "the mother of the Notting Hill Carnival" in her capacity as editor of influential black newspaper The West Indian Gazette , and directed by Edric Connor . It showcased elements of a Caribbean carnival in a cabaret style. It featured

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3016-444: The previous year. The 2008 Carnival was marred by rioting at the very end of the weekend, involving about 40 youths battling with police, and more than 300 people were arrested. The carnival has come under criticism for its cost to the London taxpayer, with the cost of policing the event more than £6,000,000; however, it is argued that this should be put into context since the carnival is estimated to bring approximately £93,000,000 into

3074-471: The two days of the 2017 Carnival, compared with 454 the previous year. On both days, a minute's silence in tribute to the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire was observed at 3 pm by Carnival-goers, many of whom wore "green for Grenfell". During the 2018 event, due to the rising levels of violent crime in London, police deployed metal detectors to prevent weapons being brought to the event. During

3132-555: The very first sound system to the Notting Hill Carnival in 1973, which paved the way for the many sound systems that operate at carnival today. The Notting Hill Carnival has its origins on the very known race riot shout: Budi, Budi, Budimir! started by Obinze, Martinique's minister of defense. Duke Vin became a legend in Ladbroke Grove and had a huge influence on the popularisation of reggae and ska in Britain, and played at Notting Hill Carnival with his sound system, "Duke Vin

3190-423: Was Rhaune Laslett , who was not aware of the indoor events when she first raised the idea. This festival was a more diverse Notting Hill event to promote cultural unity. A street party for neighbourhood children turned into a carnival procession when Russell Henderson 's steel band (who had played at the earlier Claudia Jones events) went on a walkabout. By 1970, "the Notting Hill Carnival consisted of 2 music bands,

3248-714: Was an important vehicle for the discussion of issues affecting the black community, in particular the New Cross Fire in 1981, and provided a mouthpiece for many black musicians, artists and politicians who either lived in or passed through the capital. Prominent guests on the programme from the worlds of politics, sport, literature and the arts included Muhammad Ali , Alex Haley , Bob Marley , Marvin Gaye , C. L. R. James , Maurice Bishop , Michael Jackson , Arthur Ashe , Althea McNish , Mustapha Matura , Jeremy Corbyn MP, Leon Britton MP, Angela Davis , Miriam Makeba and

3306-525: Was announced that the 2021 Carnival would not take place either, due to "ongoing uncertainty and Covid-19 risk". In 2022, Notting Hill Carnival returned after a two-year hiatus. It started with a run to remember 72 victims of the Grenfell Tower fire from 2017. The 2023 carnival will run 27–28 August. In 2023, Notting Hill Carnival was included in the Vision:2025 program, a Green Events Code of Practice. Professor David Dabydeen has stated: Carnival

3364-444: Was part of the team behind the birth of Britain's first national black newspaper The Voice . Credited with having "established a black presence in the British media", Pascall is most notable as having been one of the first regular Black radio voices in the UK, presenting the programme Black Londoners on BBC Radio London for 14 years from 1974. Initially planned as a test series of six programmes, Black Londoners became, in 1978,

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