Bands playing at this year’s Notting Hill carnival will pay homage to the Windrush generation as the 2023 event coincides with the 75th anniversary of the ship’s arrival in Britain.
Matthew Philip, the carnival’s chief executive, said he hoped it would be as “community-oriented as ever”.
“We hope for a celebratory event showcasing our culture,” he said. “There’s going to be steel bands, sound systems, masquerade bands. This weekend is the pinnacle of all the hard work that these communities have done.
“All the acts are communities in themselves, made up of a broad range of people who support and commit their time to what is going to happen this weekend.”
Last year’s carnival was highly anticipated after a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the number of mas bands and static sound systems was increased to 84 and 38 respectively.
Philip said holding an event of this magnitude presented challenges. “There’s always challenges. We’re always working to put on the event and it’s a year-round project,” he said. “We deliver the event on bank holiday weekend and then we spend the following weekend debriefing, analysing what went well and what could have gone better. And then we spend the following 11 months working to make it better and safer for everyone who participates.”
The carnival has been taking place on the streets of the Notting Hill area in London since 1966 and is the biggest street party in Europe, with an estimated 2 million attenders and 40,000 volunteers.
This year’s event coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Empire Windrush arriving at Tilbury Docks. Various special tributes have been planned throughout the weekend to the members of the Windrush generation who were the forerunners of today’s festival.
“Particularly in the last 20 years, we’ve had carnival in the streets. You’re always going to find a reference to Windrush, whether that might be in a costume or a reference in music,” Philip said. “There are always references and I know that there are going to be one or two bands which are going to have a surprise Windrush tribute in their own way over the weekend.”
Philip said he was looking forward to “seeing everyone on the streets together”. He said: “I really like going out on the street and seeing people from all different walks of life, different economic or religious backgrounds, and everyone is just at ease smiling and enjoying themselves. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Sound systems, mas bands, artists and costume designers have been busy preparing their various forms of art for the weekend. Carl Gabriel, a carnival artist, technician and former steel pan band leader, has attended every carnival for the past 50 years. Since 1994 he has been creating carnival art including sculptures and costumes, as well as assisting younger artists in creating their own work.
“It’s changed a hell of a lot since 1973,” Gabriel said. “It’s a completely different generation now and they’re bringing something different to carnival, and I’m making myself available to assist them and making sure some of the traditional carnival art forms are kept alive.”
He uses materials such as wire and papier-mache, and one of the main pieces he has created is a large phoenix for the Ebony mas band.
“It’s going to be a massive phoenix because the theme is ‘Ignite’,” Gabriel said. “I wanted to make an image that people could relate to. It’s all about telling a story and making it work.”
He admitted that the novelty of seeing his creations on the streets of west London had somewhat worn off. “Because I’ve been in it so long, it’s just another day,” he said. “But it’s nice to see the young designers that I work with happy and feel like they’ve created something special.”
