Notting Hill Carnival is an annual Caribbean festival held in north London since 1966, celebrating British African-Caribbean and Indo-Caribbean culture.
It is one of the world’s largest street festivals, drawing over a million attendees each year.
The event spans three days, this year from 23-25 August, and featured the Carnival’s Panorama steelpan competition on Saturday, the children’s parade on Sunday, and the main adult parade on Monday.
Masquerade bands (mas bands) are central to the parade: groups of costumed performers who express cultural themes through dance, music, and movement.
The tradition stems from Caribbean Carnival practices rooted in resistance and celebration.
The video below features two of the mas bands, ARAWAK and Utopia, introducing their bands and costumes, and sharing what the Carnival means to them.
ARAWAK, founded in 1999 by Lynda Joseph, draws on Trinidadian roots and honours the indigenous peoples of the Greater Antilles.
With more than 25 years’ worth of experience, the band has performed internationally in Trinidad, Portugal, and the Netherlands.
They celebrate the internationality within their group, which includes members from a wide range of countries.
Utopia, a family band known for new imaginative designs, is the brain child of husband and wife David and Judith Brown.
They aim to bring families and friends together through Carnival, especially children, and to pass on the tradition to the next generation.
Watch below for a behind-the-scenes look at the mas bands’ preparations and highlights from the children’s parade in this year’s Notting Hill Carnival.
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