Future of Notting Hill Carnival “in jeopardy”, leaked letter reveals

The organisers of the Notting Hill Carnival have said that its future could be in question without funding from the government, per a letter leaked to the BBC.

• Read more: What is the future of Notting Hill Carnival?

Carnival chair Ian Comfort requested the funding in a letter to Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, making the case that it would be needed if the carnival is to remain in existence. 

The funding would be “essential to safeguarding the future and public safety of this iconic event,” said Comfort, who referred to a review of the festival that highlighted “critical public safety concerns.” 

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has said that it would “respond to the letter in due course.”

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The event, which takes place in Notting Hill over the August Bank Holiday weekend each year, attracts over two million attendees. Previously, the Metropolitan Police’s Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist raised concerns of a “mass casualty event” due to the number of people, while Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan said earlier today (June 19) that the festival has become a “victim of its own success”.

He said that he shared the concerns raised by the Met and added: “I’ve seen images of some of the crowds at some parts of the day and watching that made me frightened.”

The independent safety review Comfort highlighted was commissioned by the organisers of the carnival and was paid for by the Greater London Authority, Kensington and Chelsea Council, and Westminster Council to the tune of £100,000. As yet, the full findings and recommendations have not been made public. 

Comfort also mentioned a study by the London Assembly, published in April, which highlighted the pressure placed on the Met by large public events like the carnival, and said that more investment in stewarding and crowd management is “now essential to allow the police to focus on their primary role of crime prevention and public protection.”

While he did not specify the amount of funding needed, he said that if there’s no “immediate” additional funding, it “risks compromising public safety and jeopardising the future of the carnival.” 

The government has supported Carnival through bodies like Arts Council England in the past, but if this request is granted, it would be the first time that direct funding would come from the government. 

Notting Hill Carnival has been running for almost 60 years after it came about in 1966 in response to the infamous 1958 Notting Hill Riots, and the racist killing of Kelso Cochrane in 1959. Matthew Phillip, the CEO of Carnival Village Trust, told NME last year about the event’s future: “We’re coming up to 60 years and the end is not in sight. We don’t market Carnival because it doesn’t need it, but there is work to be done in terms of how people can get involved. I do appreciate a lot of people don’t realise that you can actually participate.”

Janay Marie, the founder and managing director of Tallawah, a cultural events and consultancy agency, teamed up with the carnival to create Carnival Conversations, a series of events inspired by the British Caribbean experience to strengthen the community around Carnival.

Speaking to NME last year, she said: “Notting Hill Carnival is a pillar in British Caribbean culture that has been engraved in our culture way before I was even here. I am so happy NHC see the value in engaging with people properly. There are so many things I didn’t know … these things are getting lost because people are not talking about it, and I would love for NHC to be the driving force behind these really important conversations.”

This year, Notting Hill Carnival will take place on August 24 and 25, and you can find additional information on its website.

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