The world’s second-largest street festival returns this bank holiday weekend as London welcomes the 58th edition of Notting Hill Carnival. Its happening comes as a relief: there had been murmurs of cancellation; rumours of ticketing when it has always been free to attend. Organisers warned about the carnival’s future. In a letter leaked to the BBC, chair Ian Comfort requested “urgent funding” from the Government. He said it was “essential to safeguarding the future and public safety of this iconic event”. A response is said to be on its way.
Outcomes and deliberations aside, Comfort is right: Notting Hill Carnival is iconic. The annual celebration attracts two million people each year and contributes as much as £300 million to the economy. Not that the festival is about money. Taking place since 1966, it is rooted in British Caribbean culture and community. It began in response to widespread racial tensions in 1950s Britain, to riots and attacks. Anyone who believes all tensions to have dissipated is monstrously naive. Here lies the strength of unity and the tonic of togetherness.
