Streets ahead?
LOOKING AT THE FUTURE OF NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL
THE cancellation of the Notting Hill Carnival was one in a long list of events crushed by coronavirus.
The festival, which celebrates the culture and history of Afro-Caribbeans in Britain, was forced to move online to the upset of carnival goers across the country.
Some Notting Hill Carnival critics, however, were pleased to see the cancellation of the event which sees over two million people line the streets of West London.
Reading Carnival, which also celebrates Afro-Caribbean culture, had its license revoked this month (September) due to safety concerns expressed by the Reading Borough Council and Thames Valley Police.
Last year two people were stabbed at the event which has been held annually in Prospect Park since 1977. The organisers will be able to re-apply for a licence to hold the event next year with the assistance of the council.
Such safety concerns have been raised in relation to Notting Hill Carnival in the past and in such unprecedented times, how Notting Hill Carnival will future proof itself against both critics and uncertainty is an important question.
Notting Hill Carnival executive director, Matthew Phillip, spoke to MyLondon about the online event and what lies ahead for the future of the event.
“On the notion of people not wanting to see it on the streets, what we’ve done this year and the past three years to be honest is we’ve addressed a lot of things,” Mr Phillip said.
“The final arrest figures ended up being about 200 people for very minor offences and if you consider we had two million people on the streets you can compare that to any other event, there’s never even a question of whether it should be cancelled or whether it’s dangerous.”
Viewers from more than 100 countries tuned in to watch Notting Hill Carnival Access All Areas from the comfort of their homes.
While Mr Phillip conceded that it wasn’t the same or as good as being on the streets, he said viewers who had never attended carnival said they would attend after hearing stories and interviews about the event’s origins.