Notting Hill Carnival Strategic Review - Intelligent Space
Notting Hill Carnival Strategic Review - Intelligent Space
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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