The history of Notting Hill Carnival and carnival culture

The annual Notting Hill Carnival will be taking place this weekend, bringing together different communities and cultures from around the world in London.

The experts at the language learning platform, Babbel have delved into the history of the Notting Hill Carnival and carnivals within different cultures around the world.

Carnivals today represent a wide range of different cultures and influences, so we can’t be sure exactly where they came from. However, we do know that the Ancient Greeks celebrated a type of carnival known as “Bachannal”, which were characterised by wild and indulgent drinking, eating and unrestrained behaviour. The pagan festival of “Saturnalia” was a luxurious celebration of gambling, exchanging gifts (later becoming Christian tradition at Christmas) and socialising.

The term "carnival" later emerged as part of Christian tradition (with variations like carnaval, carnevale, karneval), finding its origins in the Latin words "carnis" (referring to meat) and the verb "levare" (meaning to remove). This alludes to the Church's prohibition on consuming meat throughout Lent. In anticipation of the upcoming fasting, individuals indulged in the richest food available, and it is this sense of extravagance that still characterises carnivals today.

Of course, while the term “carnival” comes from Christian tradition, the concept of a flamboyant celebration which brings communities together can be found in different cultures across the world.

Notting Hill Carnival is one of the biggest street festivals in the world. It started in 1966, but originated with a “Caribbean Carnival” organised in 1959 by the immigrant community of Trinidad and Tobago as a response to race relations at the time.

People from the West Indies had been invited by the British government to help with its post-war reconstruction, bringing what has come to be known as the Windrush Generation to the UK. The West Indian communities often faced discrimination in the years after the arrival of the HMS Windrush, which came to a head during the 1958 Notting Hill riots.

After the scenes of violence had calmed down, West Indian residents wanted a way to celebrate their culture, leading to the Caribbean Carnival organised by Trinidadian-born activist Claudia Jones at St Pancras Town Hall. The carnival featured palm trees from Kew Gardens, a Black beauty contest, music and dancing. It was filmed by the BBC and took place in the hall for five years before moving to a street festival in 1964.

In 1966, the carnival officially became the Notting Hill Carnival that we know today, with steel bands and a procession through the streets. Since then, the carnival has seen its first female DJ performer and a legendary performance from Destiny’s Child, as well as becoming a celebration of art and food from the West Indies.

The days all have a slightly different vibe, with the Saturday considered the family day and the colourful parade of floats, while Sunday and Monday are the most outrageous and extravagant for parties.

Nice, France. Every year in February, Nice celebrates a two-week extravaganza featuring giant puppets and a symbolic key-burning ceremony. Each year, a special theme is chosen, and artists create a series of floats and other figurines in papier-mâché for the colourful parade.

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Venice, Italy. Venice’s iconic carnival features masks and the famed Angel's Flight event. The elaborate costumes and masks date back to the 11th century. In the opening ceremony, called Volo dell’Angelo (Angel’s Flight), a beauty queen or random celebrity descends on a wire from the Campanile di San Marco (the bell tower of St. Mark’s Basilica) into the piazza below.

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Cologne, Germany. Every year the German city of Cologne hosts an extensive Carnival season called "The Fifth Season." The preparation and celebration of carnival takes over three months, with the parade stretching almost four miles.

The Carnival season starts on January 6 and doesn’t end until the evening before Ash Wednesday!

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Rio, Brazil. Brazil's carnivals are some of the most famous in the world and include Rio's grand parade, Salvador's celebrity-filled festivity, and Recife's Galo da Madrugada parade, the largest carnival parade in the world. The Rio Carnival is said to be one of the biggest and brightest street parties in the world and draws in millions of visitors every year from around the globe.

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Banner credit: Notting Hill Carnival (David Sedlecký)