Notting Hill Carnival: A Riot of Joy, Resistance, and Rhythm

Every August, London’s streets explode with colour, sound, and energy. But Carnival is more than just feathers and basslines. It’s a protest. A celebration. A cultural uprising dressed in sequins and steel drums.

And we’re here for all of it.

Where It All Began: A Carnival Born of Conflict

Notting Hill Carnival wasn’t born out of party planning — it was born out of pain.

In 1958, racial tensions in London erupted into violence during the Notting Hill Race Riots. White mobs attacked Black communities, part of the Windrush generation who had come to Britain to build a new life — and were met with prejudice instead.

One year later, Trinidadian journalist and activist Claudia Jones hosted an indoor Caribbean carnival — a radical act of joy in the face of oppression. Music. Dance. Steel pans. She didn’t just organise a party. She became a cultural icon — proof that joy can be political.

By 1966, Carnival hit the streets of Notting Hill, led by community organiser Rhaune Laslett, who believed culture could bring people together. It started with steel bands. Then came the dancers, the floats, the sound systems — and the spirit of defiance that never left.

A Celebration That Says: We’re Still Here

Today, Notting Hill Carnival is Europe’s largest street festival — but it’s still political at its core. It’s about reclaiming space. About being seen. About finding pleasure in movement, expression, music, and community — especially in a world that still tries to tell marginalised people to be quiet.

It wasn’t made for the mainstream.

Icons of Carnival: Then & Now

Claudia Jones lit the fuse. But Carnival’s icons are everywhere — the dancers, the DJs, the drag queens, the sound systems, the aunties serving jerk chicken from garden BBQs.

It’s a living, breathing celebration of unapologetic self-expression. Just like our favourite icons — they make the noise, take up space, and don’t ask for permission.

The most powerful icons aren’t always the loudest. But they are always unforgettable.

Carnival is living proof that joy, when it’s radical, is iconic.

Let’s toast to Carnival. To culture. To confidence.