The grand celebration of the British-Caribbean community at the Notting Hill

First organised in the year 1966 as a means to highlight the cultural diversity of England, this carnival was led by the British West Indian community and since then it has attracted 2.5 million attendees annually, making it one of the world’s largest street festivals.

Each year, during the last weekend of August, the streets of west London are amok with people in brightly coloured costumes and extravagant decorations for the celebration of the famed Notting Hill Carnival. This carnival is a celebration of the British-Caribbean and the black British communities that reside in London. And for the first time in its history, the two-day parade and street festival will be happening off the streets and in the digital realm.

The organisers posted about the cancellation on the official website saying, “Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, the Notting Hill Carnival 2020 has been cancelled, but some celebrations are taking place online.” They also added that people could still, “Dance to the sound of steel bands and calypso music, join food and drink shows and learn more about the carnival and its people in interviews, over three days of live streams.”

Millions of people gather annually for the celebration of the Notting Hill carnival for the live performance, dancehalls, costume parades, reggae, and steel bands. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, organisers have been preparing and filming for almost a month to provide all of these delightful activities via live stream. The events will run from noon to 11 pm on August 30 and 31. There is also a warm up event that will be held on August 29, from 9 am to noon and from 6 pm to midnight.

Famous artists such as Volcano, Rampage, King Tubby’s and Art-A-Light will be performing their sets, along with dancehall, soc artists and 15 Brazilian carnival bands.

The Notting Hill Carnival was first organised in the year 1966 as a means to highlight the cultural diversity of England and was led by the British West Indian community. Since then it has attracted 2.5 million attendees annually, making it one of the world’s largest street festivals.