With Notting Hill Carnival kicking off today (August 25), organisers have spoken to NME about the future of the annual celebration of Black culture and how to keep its spirit alive.
Founded nearly 60 years ago, the event sees thousands flock to join in the vibrant celebration of Caribbean culture – birthed as a response to the infamous 1958 Notting Hill Riots, and the racist killing of Kelso Cochrane in 1959. Today, the carnival not only showcases West Indian traditions but also honours African and Brazilian influence.
“We’re coming up to 60 years and the end is not in sight,” the Carnival’s CEO Matthew Philips told NME, explaining how the event’s evolution will come through collaboration with the wider community. “We don’t market Carnival because it doesn’t need it, but there is work to be done in terms of how people can get involved. I do appreciate a lot of people don’t realise that you can actually participate.”
Philips said that many masquerade bands – huge trucks, also known as mas bands, surrounded by colourful, feathered dancers and musicians in the parade every year – are always on the lookout for help.
“All of the bands have welcomed people helping to make and construct the costumes,” he said. “There are steel bands up and down the country that offer free classes for the most part to learn how to play the steel band. All of the sound systems operate throughout the year and they do various events. I know that most of them, if not all, are open to young people getting involved and learning the skills.”
Colours Carnival are a mas band based in London that “brings an authentic taste of the Caribbean carnival experience”. They are always looking to collaborate with “not just people who are first, second, and third generation Caribbean people,” but also “welcome others and the wider UK to experience Carnival.”
However, a representative of Colours Carnival suggested that – despite having new members every year – “more can certainly be done to let everyone know that they can come and help”.
They went on to explain the barriers the band faces, saying the future of mas bands as a whole looks “difficult” due to the rise in costs. “I do feel every year, it gets harder to bring out a band on the road,” a spokesperson told NME. “There’s no little pot of funding or anything like that. Every band is put on at their own cost.”
With suppliers’ costs always increasing and more restrictions being imposed, fewer bands are able to appear in Notting Hill Carnival. This impact was already felt in this year’s J’ouvert celebration, which happens annually on Carnival Sunday, after it was cancelled due to a lack of participating bands.
Another challenge they face is working to remain as authentic as possible. “Sometimes people do reach out and it’s not necessarily the help that we need, but sometimes it is really helpful,” the spokesperson revealed, adding that brands or organisations often try to hop on the trend of Carnival. However, those who really “do their research on what Carnival is about” make for the best collaborators “because you can tell when time and effort are put in” to their contributions.
“When it’s done right, it can be amazing, but don’t let the fear of ‘Oh no! This isn’t our arena’ stop you,” they concluded.
The issue of authenticity seen many question the increase of Afrobeats, hip-hop and other music of Black origin at the second-biggest carnival in the world – arguing that the event has been straying away from its roots. This led to the implementation of a new music policy this year which said only soca, calypso and other West Indian and Brazilian genres can be played in the parade.
@tazzlvndon Dont come for me the music insults itself already 😭😭 #carni #nottinghillcarnival2022 #GenshinTeleport #satire #soca #fypシ #viral
@femijaye This is a question, not a statement of what I think should happen #carnival #nottinghillcarnival2022 #nottinghillcarnival #westindies #afrobeats #afrobeat #carribeanculture #london #culture
@itzshaann Theres no poace for that here sir #carnival
“It’s very important,” Philips said about the new music policy. “Soca and calypso don’t enjoy mainstream successes and there aren’t many places where you can go and see or hear them, whereas a lot of other genres enjoy exposure at many other festivals and events up and down the country.”
However, he said that he welcomed other genres throughout the diaspora at static sound systems. “It’s not just about the Caribbean, I always say that the roots are in the Caribbean but the deep roots are in Africa,” he went on. “Carnival’s about freedom and it’s about inclusivity. Carnival started to bring people together, black, white, whatever. So why would we not want or exclude music that doesn’t just come from the Caribbean?”
Linett Kamala – a DJ, sound system expert and member of the Notting Hill Carnival board – told NME that the ethos behind sound systems is to “play something fresh”. However, she found that many sound systems just play the “big hits” instead of more contemporary music – arguing not enough young people are involved in the more major sound systems at Notting Hill Carnival.
This is why Kamala founded the Sound Systems Future programme – to pass down her knowledge to the next generation of sound system enthusiasts.
“People always say, ‘No, we’ve got to bring through the youth and all of that’,” she said. “But, I’ve watched over the years – being that kid growing into that adult – the emphasis moved more towards the adults, particularly on Carnival Sunday, which is supposed to be Young People/Children’s Day,” she said, wondering how this helps the next generation “grow”.
She continued: “Not everyone’s like me. I was born in Harlesden to Jamaican parents who moved and lived in Notting Hill. So it’s in my heritage, my lineage. However, the culture’s changing and I think it should be inclusive in that way.”
Kamala – who was the first-ever female to DJ at NHC – launched the year-long programme back in 2021. Eli is a 23-year-old producer and DJ who has remained under her wing after the initiative, and has now become an Assistant Producer for Lin Kam Art, working on projects at the Royal Albert Hall and British Museum.
Through his time with the Sound Systems Futures Programme, he’s learned that the most important aspect is fostering a community. “Obviously you’ve got the sounds and you’ve got the amazing music and the amazing atmosphere that it creates,” he said, “but amongst that is the community and the solidarity and the people being together.”
There is a fear that elements of Notting Hill Carnival have been held back by gatekeepers, leading many to question how seminal mas bands, DJ collectives and sound systems will continue after the current generation retires. But, Kamala enthused, “We’re not all gatekeepers, you know!”
She added: “People like myself are always looking for support, we’re always looking for like-minded people who are passionate. That’s the one thing those of us doing this type of work like; come and support us in whatever way you can.”
Despite concerns that not enough young people will continue the traditions and preservation of Notting Hill Carnival, a new generation is already making their presence known.
Janay Marie is the founder and managing director of Tallawah, a cultural events and consultancy agency that hopes to “bridge the gap between the amplification of Black talent and the rich cultural tapestry of the Caribbean diaspora.”
To achieve this, she teamed up with Notting Hill Carnival to create Carnival Conversations. Inspired by the British Caribbean experience, the event series is designed to strengthen the community around Carnival through honest conversations, networking and panels.
“Notting Hill Carnival is a pillar in British Caribbean culture that has been engraved in our culture way before I was even here,” Marie told NME, before suggesting that there should be “more events led by the actual NHC team” to reflect that Carnival is more than just two days out of the year. She believed all communities that partake in Notting Hill Carnival can learn from one another, and this was “partially why Carnival Conversations was born”.
“I am so happy NHC see the value in engaging with people properly,” Marie said. “There are so many things I didn’t know… these things are getting lost because people are not talking about it, and I would love for NHC to be the driving force behind these really important conversations.”
Notting Hill Carnival will take place this Bank Holiday weekend (August 25-26). For those who need a map of NHC including popular sound systems and iconic landmarks such as Judging Point and The Tabernacle, you can download the official Notting Hill Carnival map here, powered by Trippin’.
