In 1959, Trinidadian activist Claudia Jones organised a Caribbean carnival in London in response to race riots, planting the seeds for what today is one of the world’s largest street parties.
Revellers in Notting Hill on Monday said Jones’ message of unity had never been more important.
Carnival returned for its 56th edition on Sunday and Monday, drawing one million people to the streets of west London to celebrate the city’s diversity and its Caribbean community.
The event comes after England was hit by a series of far-right, racist attacks in late July, sparked by false information online about the suspected killer of three young girls in a knife attack in Southport, northwest England.
The carnival traces its roots to the hundreds of thousands of migrants from the Caribbean, known as the “Windrush” generation, who came to Britain between 1948 and 1971 to help rebuild the country following World War Two.
Their arrival was accompanied by racial tensions and the unfair treatment of Black people, with riots breaking out in 1958, including in the London district of Notting Hill, where many Caribbean migrants lived at the time.
“Notting Hill Carnival was born in response to racist riots,” race equality think tank Runnymede Trust said. “These events, and the divisive rhetoric which fuelled them, feel painfully relevant today.”
Over the years, the indoor event organised by Jones has developed into the vibrant celebration it is today.
For some carnival-goers, the recent riots proved the importance of celebrating the city’s multiculturalism and how generations of migrants and their descendents had contributed to British society.
Jocelyn Kuyaziwma, 28, lives in Wales but travelled to London to be part of one of the carnival’s oldest masquerade bands, Mangrove Mas.
She said the recent riots showed why the celebration was important – not just now but every year.
“I feel like it is a step in right direction in terms of what I would like Britain to be on a daily basis,” she said. “Everyone comes together. You see people from different countries just flocking together on the streets.”
Nicola Joseph, 39, whose father is from Trinidad and Tobago, has been coming to Carnival since she was a little girl.
She is also a member of Mangrove Mas, and says the costumes, food and music bring people together.
“There is space for everyone,” she said.
Monday’s celebrations featured trucks draped in colourful material, carrying bands and sound systems playing soca and reggae songs, surrounded by people in bright festival costumes.
Many brought flags of Caribbean nations.
Matthew Phillip, Notting Hill carnival’s chief executive, told Reuters the event was Britain’s biggest celebration of inclusion – “of the things we have in common, rather than focusing on our differences”.
London police deployed around 7,000 officers at the event, which it said was seen by a minority of people as a chance to commit crime.
It said three people were stabbed on Sunday – a 32-year-old woman, who was in a critical condition in hospital, and two men, aged 29 and 24.
Ninety people were arrested and 15 officers were assaulted, police said.
