Notting Hill Carnival Strategic Review - Intelligent Space

1.53.2 lack of general awareness of the culture, significance and history of the Notting Hill
Carnival.
1.53.3 lack of support, both in terms of funding and space (mas camps and pan yards) from
local authorities and other grant-giving bodies.
1.53.4 the need to create sustainable infrastructures for the disciplines, which would be
responsive to their needs and effectively advocate on their behalf.
1.53.5 the negative press reporting and media portrayal of Carnival, which served only to
undermine the legitimacy of creativity, art and skill involved.
1.53.6 the need to recognise that each carnival grouping, be it a masquerade band, sound
system or steel pan operated as a miniature “carnival enterprise”, a microcosm of the
larger event itself. There was therefore a need to underpin these enterprises and the
carnival industry through training and continuing professional development for those
participants who wished to pursue the Carnival arts as a full-time commercial concern.
1.53.7 the lack of information from and communication between themselves and NHCT – the
organisation responsible for organising the Carnival at the time of the public hearing.
The Masqueraders (Costume Bands)
1.54 Satire, mockery, irony and comedy are the dominant themes of the Carnival masquerade (or
‘mas’ as it is better known). Mas, as the ‘theatre of the streets’ is the visual backbone and
unifying force of Carnival. One of the key concerns of the masquerade bands was the lack of
understanding and appreciation of carnival costume-making as both a legitimate art-form and
skill. It is a little known fact that the majority of costume designers have in fact trained in
prestigious fashion schools such as St. Martins and the London College of Fashion. Parallels can
therefore be drawn between the Carnival season and other fashion events such as London
Fashion Week. Masquerade bands were keen to stress that Carnival costume-making is a yearround
activity which involves the development of themes, the construction of mood boards, and
the communication of stories through movement and fabric. These aspects of the masquerade
band operation (including the skills required to manage a mas camp) tended to be overlooked by
many.
1.55 It was felt that this lack of appreciation was specific to London as opposed to other regions
around the country, where, by contrast, masquerade bands are welcomed and supported by
places such as Bristol, Leeds, Reading, Stoke and Birmingham. The Review Group found that the
work of the masquerade bands was rich with stories and case studies of the positive impact made
by their work on various aspects of the community. The concern for many was that certainly in
the media and press reporting of Carnival, there was no acknowledgement of role of the
masquerade band in bringing communities together and empowering socially excluded or
disadvantaged groups. This had always been a central principle of the Carnival and certainly of
‘playing mas’.
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