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Notting Hill Carnival Strategic Review - Intelligent Space

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Foreword<br />

Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London<br />

London is one of the most diverse and culturally dynamic capital cities in<br />

the world. In recent years, no event has illustrated this more so than the<br />

<strong>Notting</strong> <strong>Hill</strong> <strong>Carnival</strong>.<br />

We have all become familiar with popular media portrayals of what<br />

makes for a successful carnival – a merry police officer amid spectacular<br />

costume designs; a heaving crowd surrounding large music stages or<br />

performing artists; and the skilfully painted faces of excited young<br />

children taking centre stage with the encouragement of their proud<br />

parents. Each year, more than nine thousand people appear on the<br />

streets of <strong>Notting</strong> <strong>Hill</strong> as performers, DJs, stewards, bandleaders, poets,<br />

traders and steel-pan players.<br />

Since its humble origins as an indoor event in 1959, the <strong>Carnival</strong> has grown organically in recent years,<br />

attracting more than 700,000 visitors and revellers. In 1999, the number of people attending the<br />

<strong>Carnival</strong> reached 1.2 million – a clear indication of how successful this summer festival has become.<br />

However, the success of the <strong>Notting</strong> <strong>Hill</strong> <strong>Carnival</strong> has at times, also proved to be the source of its<br />

problems. And although it has suffered from a number of setbacks, the resilience and vibrancy of the<br />

<strong>Carnival</strong> in general and the community responsible for making it happen in particular, has been the<br />

festival’s key unifying strength.<br />

I initiated this strategic review of the <strong>Notting</strong> <strong>Hill</strong> <strong>Carnival</strong> in order to begin the process of addressing<br />

the challenges inherent in staging an event that has, for so many years, lacked the proper investment<br />

needed to ensure that performers and spectators alike are able to experience a safe and enjoyable<br />

festival. This report is the product of a major evaluation of how the <strong>Notting</strong> <strong>Hill</strong> <strong>Carnival</strong> is managed,<br />

financed, supported and perceived. In addition to addressing the public safety issues posed as a result<br />

of the <strong>Carnival</strong>’s growth, it also reveals the significant cultural, social and economic potential and<br />

contribution already made by the <strong>Carnival</strong> to London’s communities, schools, businesses and tourists.<br />

The <strong>Notting</strong> <strong>Hill</strong> <strong>Carnival</strong> is here to stay and therefore the true value of this report lies in its adoption<br />

of a long-term strategic approach to the <strong>Carnival</strong>’s development as a major London event that<br />

continues to be the subject of international recognition and acclaim. I hope that this report and its<br />

recommendations are used as a basis for further discussion and action by those who have a real<br />

interest in making the <strong>Notting</strong> <strong>Hill</strong> <strong>Carnival</strong> work – not just in the short term but in the future.<br />

For a festival that has succeeded in promoting a fusion of cultures, people and customs, there is more<br />

to the <strong>Notting</strong> <strong>Hill</strong> <strong>Carnival</strong> than many of us realise.<br />

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