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Notting Hill Carnival 2022 returns for the first time since pandemic began

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Notting Hill Carnival 2022 returns for the first time since the pandemic began

For the first time since the pandemic Adults, Day at Notting Hill Carnival returned to the streets of west London. Performers in brightly-coloured costumes have marked the return of the Notting Hill Carnival after a two-year hiatus during the COVID pandemic.

Millions of people attended the festival which lasted until Monday and saw many of those in the parade dress up in brightly-coloured costumes in commemoration of Caribbean heritage.

Dancers, brass bands and floats entertained the large crowds in west London on what is known as ‘family day’. The event lasted until Monday till the bank holiday. The carnival, which celebrates Caribbean culture, has been held online over the past two years due to the COVID pandemic, but now the huge street party is back, with music, dancing, parades, and extravagant outfits.

Its origins date back to the 1950s when Trinidadian human rights activist Claudia Jones began organizing gatherings after racially motivated attacks in the area. To check out historical pictures of the previous Notting Carnivals see our previous post on Notting Hill Carnival Going Digital 2020.

The festival has since become a “part of the very fabric” of London, according to the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan.

Notting Hill Carnival 2022 Events 

At 3 pm, a group of people stopped in 72-seconds of silence by the parade marking the 72 lives lost in the Grenfell Tower fire five years ago.

Among the group were the first firefighters to arrive at the scene, alongside survivors and campaigners. Behind a food stand a man selling jerk chicken for a queue summed up how lots of people were feeling and enjoying the festivities. Revellers dressed in colourful costumes descended on the streets of west London for Notting Hill Carnival for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic.

The Metropolitan Police said there had been 76 arrests for “a variety of different offences” by 7 am on Monday. No festivals can go in please and the same was seen on Monday morning. Officers also said a police horse died on duty during the carnival after collapsing around 9 pm on Sunday. The force said it was too early to determine the cause of death and added that there will be an investigation.

Sadiq Khan Please Notting Hill Carnival is Back

London mayor Sadiq Khan said: “As a Londoner, I’m really pleased carnival is back.” London mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted: “Biggest street party in Europe! And the vibes are immaculate.” He said it had “become one of the world’s biggest street festivals and part of the very fabric of this city”. This year’s event comes amid a cost-of-living crisis, which Mr Khan said had affected the carnival. He said the carnival was celebrating Caribbean culture, heritage, and history and there was a “pent-up” demand for festivities this year.

Cost of Living Crisis

The 2022 Notting Hill Carnival is also marked by the cost-of-living crisis, as organisers claim that some people were unable to afford the extravagant costumes which are traditionally seen at the event; while some bands were not able to perform due to the costs involved.

Notting Hill Carnival went Digital for 2020

The 2020 carnival was cancelled because of COVID, although there were live-streamed events, and last year’s carnival did not take place either due to the coronavirus risk. You can check out the Notting Hill carnival digital event of 2020 here.

Check out some pictures taken by various news channels on Notting Hill Carnival 2022

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Notting Hill Carnival Going Digital for August 2020 Festival

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Notting Hill Carnival Going Digital for August 2020 Festival

Notting Hill Carnival announced that they are going Digital for the coming annual August 2020 calendar festival. This is not a surprise as many festivals are hit by the COVID Pandemic. The street festival in London attracts more than a million visitors every year. The main parade starts on Great Western Road, winding its way along Chepstow Road, then on to Westbourne Grove, and then down Ladbroke Grove. However, all this is set to change this year.

Matthew Phillip, executive director of organisers Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, said the event which will be broadcasted globally over four online channels will offer viewers a peak behind the curtain of Europe’s biggest street party. It will include performances, interviews and cookery shows.

He told the Standard: It was not right to not do anything. We wanted to celebrate the carnival and the people behind it. With it being digital, now it is an around-the-world experience – it is going global.

Notting Hill London Carnival going Digital Aug 2020
Notting Hill London Carnival going Digital Aug 2020

Speaking about the logistics of hosting a digital carnival, Matthew said: Lockdown has meant that we have all fast-forwarded in terms of technology. It is something we should have been embracing before, online and broadcasting. This is a new kind of carnival. It was always going to adapt and we are going to be embracing it. It is an opportunity to open people up to the carnival and give people a peak behind the curtain.

The cancellation of this year’s physical festival marks the first time it is not being staged on the streets of Notting Hill and Kensington since it was launched in 1966.

Notting Hill Carnival over the years – See Pictures below

Digital Notting Hill Carnival Schedule

Viewers tuning in from 6 pm on Saturday, August 29 will be able to experience the performances from steel bands, sound systems, plus calypso and Soca dancers. There will be interviews with the people behind the event, plus food and drink shows.

The content for the digital carnival has been filmed over the past month. The event is being supported by Kensington and Chelsea Council, Westminster Council and the Greater London Authority.

Watch the Digital Notting Hill Carnival 2020 Introduction video

 

Digital Notting Hill Carnival for 2020 Replaces the Street Festival for one year

The arts, music and food of the Notting Hill Carnival go online

The Carnival experience at home!

Steel Bands, Sound Systems, Mas Bands, Brazilian Bands, Calypso and Soca performances, food and drink shows, interviews and much more!

Carnival Warm-Up

Steelpan Show & Calypso & Groovy Soca

Channel 1: Saturday 29 August 6 pm – Midnight

Carnival Culture

Channel 1: Saturday 29 August 9am – 12pm

Parade Channel

Channel 2: Sunday 30 & Monday 31 August 12pm – 8pm

Sound System Channel

Channel 3: Sunday 30 & Monday 31 August 12pm – 8pm

Main Stage Channel

Channel 4: Sunday 30 & Monday 31 August 8pm – 11pm

For access to the video channels please head over to Lets Go Do and sign up.

Watch at: www.NHCarnival.org

Twitter:@NHCarnivalLDN Instagram: @nhcarnivalldn FB: @NHCarnivalLDN

Get The Official Notting Hill Carnival App – Apple & Android

Details on how to register to view the channels and the full lineup can be found at NHCarnival.org.

If you are already in London, check out our London Tours Page to see which tours you can go for during the current COVID-19 Pandemic. Keep looking into our News sections for all the latest.

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Notting Hill Carnival London 2018

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The 52nd Notting Hill Carnival this year showed an amazing array of colours showcased by revellers and participants. The carnival kicked off in west London with carousers showcasing a vibrant display. Pictures show smiling carnival-goers covered in body paint and bejewelled outfits as Notting Hill was transformed into a feast of music, dance and colour.

Floats are parading through the streets today as a million people flock to the two-day event over the Bank Holiday weekend to celebrate the Caribbean and West Indian culture in the capital. The carnival featured steel bands, dance troupes and elaborate floats, with many among the crowds tossing paint and coloured powder at each other while dancing on the Notting hill streets.

Beautiful dance performer in sky blue dress Notting Hill Carnival London 2018 waves at the ongoing crowd
Beautiful dance performer in sky blue dress Notting Hill Carnival London 2018 waves at the ongoing crowd

A celebration of the Afro-Caribbean community, the two-day event has its roots in a 1964 London procession to bring people together despite racism and a lack of opportunity that blighted day-to-day life.

Police deployed metal-detecting arches to counter potential knife crime and have been given additional stop-and-search powers at this year’s carnival based on intelligence and after a spate of violent crime in London over the past week.

Notting hill Carnival 2018 London dance performers on the bank holiday MondayNotting hill Carnival 2018 London dance performers on the bank holiday Monday
Notting hill Carnival 2018 London dance performers on the bank holiday Monday

Almost 7,000 officers, some from the Metropolitan Police’s newly formed Violent Crime Task Force, are policing Monday’s event to “combat the threat of violent crime”.

This is up from the 6,100 on-duty officers at the less busy family day on Sunday. Undercover police as well as officers from the force’s firearms and dog units will be in place. The event attracted more than a million revellers to its floats, food stalls and music scene.

Beautiful dancers in varied colour costumes in Notting hill London Carnival 2018
Beautiful dancers in varied colour costumes in Notting hill London Carnival 2018

Heavy rain played a big spoiler, however, the attendance was still immense and police patrolling was well managed. Police made 133 arrests for a variety of weapon and drug-related offences, which has been a scene in past carnival events as well. A total of 20 weapons, including knives, were also seized as metal detecting knife arches were used at the event for the first time.

Millions of people took part in the event over the Bank Holiday weekend, and despite heavy rain on Sunday’s family day they proved they were out to party.

Instead of the t-shirt and shorts sported for the intensely hot weather of just a few weeks ago, there were umbrellas and a roaring trade for colourful plastic raincoats at Europe’s biggest street party. The community celebration carved its way around the streets in a mass of music, dancing, bold costumes and floats of soaked entertainers.

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