6 days ago
How Notting Hill Carnival became one of the biggest cultural events after race riots
Millions of people attend Notting Hill carnival, with some travelling by plane just to experience the Caribbean inspired event - but few know how the carnival began and the roots are deep.
Notting Hill Carnival might be one of the world's biggest street parties today, but its roots lie in a fight for community, unity and pride.
The summer of 1958 was one of the most volatile in West London's history. Racial tensions had been bubbling for years, fuelled by open hostility towards the Windrush generation settling in the area.
In August 1958, an argument between Swedish-born Majbritt Morrison and her Jamaican husband, Raymond, outside Latimer Road tube station turned into a flashpoint. A group of white men, known as Teddy Boys tried to 'defend' Majbritt, despite her telling them to leave her alone. A fight broke out between the Teddy Boys and Raymond's friends, all of Jamaican descent.
The next day, Majbritt was spotted again by a gang of white youths. This time, she was attacked in broad daylight simply for being married to a Black man. That assault sparked three days of race riots, with white gangs prowling the streets armed with iron bars, bottles and homemade petrol bombs, targeting Afro-Caribbean homes.
One witness later told the BBC: 'They're marking the outside of the houses for the [Teddy] Boys to know where to bomb and where not to bomb.'
By the end of the bank holiday weekend, 108 people had been arrested. Miraculously, no one was killed - but the hostility was far from over.
Less than a year later, on May 17, 1959, 32-year-old Antiguan carpenter and aspiring lawyer Kelso Cochrane was stabbed to death in a racially motivated attack on Southam Street. His murder which still hasn't been solved sent shockwaves through the community.
More than 1,200 mourners attended his funeral, turning it into a defiant stand against racism. Allegations of a police cover-up and a lack of urgency in the investigation only deepened mistrust, pushing campaigners to take their fight for justice to Whitehall.
Against this backdrop, Caribbean activist and journalist Claudia Jones offered a different kind of resistance. That winter, she staged an indoor 'Caribbean Carnival' at St Pancras Town Hall, broadcast by the BBC, to celebrate Caribbean culture and lift spirits in the wake of the riots.
In the years that followed, indoor events multiplied across London, organised by Jones, the West Indian Gazette, and Trinidadian booking agents Edric and Pearl Connor.
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By 1966, community activist Rhaune Laslett - a Londoner of Native American and Russian descent decided to host a children's street fayre to bring Notting Hill's diverse residents together.
'We felt that although West Indians, Africans, Irish and many other nationalities all live in a very congested area, there is very little communication between us. If we can infect them with a desire to participate, then this can only have good results,' she said.
She invited steel pan player Russell Henderson and his band, who led an impromptu parade down Portobello Road. Locals followed, danced and celebrated and the first outdoor Notting Hill Carnival was born.
From a crowd of 500 in 1966, Carnival has grown into one of the world 's largest cultural events, drawing over a million people every August Bank Holiday.
It remains community-led, deeply rooted in Caribbean heritage, and uniquely 'London' in its diversity. With static sound systems introduced in 1973 by, then live stages was introduced in 1979 by Wilf Walker hosting stars, and floats alive with music and colour, it continues to honour its origins while evolving with the city it represents.
As organisers said: 'While the carnival is rooted in Caribbean culture, with its Windrush-generation influence remaining strong, it is at the same time reflective of characteristically 'London' - today's modern London.'
The costumes may change and the music may shift, but Carnival's heartbeat - unity, joy and resilience is the same as it was when it began.
