Menu Menu
[gtranslate]

Does Notting Hill Carnival have a future?

The beloved street party is at risk due to funding cuts and public safety concerns. But protecting it is in our best interests. 

Sunday 22nd June marked Windrush Day, an annual commemoration of the date thousands of Caribbean’s were shipped over the the UK in the 1950s.

A large portion of the Windrush generation moved to London’s Notting Hill, where they formed a vibrant community and established the famous Notting Hill Carnival – a two day event which would go on to attract millions of visitors to the capital each year.

But this years’ Windrush Day was marred by growing concerns over the carnival’s future.

The Metropolitan police have been vocal in their criticism of the event year-on-year, due to a rise in public safety concerns, criminal activity, and uncontrollable crowds.

Around 7000 police officers are deployed to each day of the carnival over August Bank Holiday weekend, which cost around £11.7m in 2023. As the event only grows in popularity, pushback from authorities is on the rise.

Simon Hill of the Metropolitan Police Federation said that officers were just ‘as worried this year as they were last year and the year before,’ about working the carnival.

‘Nobody that I speak to actually looks forward to working Notting Hill Carnival, which is a real shame, because it’s a vibrant event, it’s an important event,’ he told the BBC.

Hill’s comments cut to the heart of public sentiment – Notting Hill Carnival has remained a vital outpost for London’s Afro-Caribbean community, serving as a space to celebrate cultural traditions, push back against discrimination, and vocalise political sentiments.

Each time the carnival’s future is called into question, so too are the interests and priorities of the city’s authorities. Many are convinced that the critical narratives churned out by police and policymakers are a byproduct of institutional racism.

This year, on Windrush day, the Met Police announced that the carnival ‘can’t be fixed’ and called for it to be scrapped completely over safety concerns which were straining resources and funding.

Many members of Britain’s Black and Caribbean communities considered the statements a personal attack.

‘It should not be lost on us that these funding concerns coincide with Windrush Day’, said Jacqueline McKenzie, a campaigner and human rights lawyer who helped victims of the Windrush scandal. She went on to outline Notting Hill Carnival as an event that holds ‘huge national and international significance.’

‘The government needs to recognise this and act urgently to protect it. […] To see this celebration in jeopardy whilst so many of the Windrush generation continue to fight for justice following the Home Office scandal only adds insult to injury.’

Susan Hall, leader of the Conservatives on the London Assembly, has previously described the carnival as ‘a victim of its own success’ and a ‘disaster waiting to happen.’

Despite pressure from locals, the Met Police have echoed Hall’s statements amid underfunding rows – with a report by Sir Mark Hall for the London Policing Board stating:

‘We are […] significantly concerned that with just a matter of weeks to go until this year’s event that the essential funding has not been secured and, with each week that passes, the ability to successfully implement the Phase One recommendations becomes more challenging as event management companies will be hesitant to take on event at such short notice without a sufficient lead-in time.’

Concerns over public safety aren’t unfounded. Last year, two people were murdered at the carnival – Cher Maximen, who was killed in front of her three-year-old daughter, and chef Mussie Imnetu.

But the focus should be shifted away from the carnival’s ostensibly dangerous nature and onto the lack of funding and institutional support it is granted. It’s hard not to wonder whether, were this not an Afro-Caribbean event, adequate planning would be put in place from a government level.

That’s certainly the question being asked by many supporters of the carnival.

‘Carnival embodies the fundamental role of Black and Caribbean communities in Britain, and the government should be upholding the Windrush legacy instead of undermining it.’

In a leaked letter to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy requesting more funding, Carnival chair Ian Comfort said that ‘limited resourcing has restricted the police service’s ability to respond to growing operational pressures,’ adding that increased investment in stewarding and crowd management was ‘now essential to allow the police to focus on their primary role of crime prevention and public protection.’

If the aforementioned financial support is granted, it would mark the first time direct government funding has been provided for the carnival.

Accessibility