Carnival 60: six months of events mark sixty years of Notting Hill CarnivalWalks, talks, Caribbean suppers and an exhibition across west London, May to October 2026, telling the story of how Britain's biggest street festival was built.
By: More Curricular CIC The talks and panels gather voices from across six decades, including three Directors of Notting Hill Carnival. A Windrush Day special with Ansel Wong CBE, instrumental in setting up UK Black History Month, takes place on 20 June. Allyson Williams MBE, who trained as a nurse and co-founded Genesis Mas Band, speaks on 11 July. Dr Claire Holder OBE, Chief Executive of Carnival from 1989 to 2002, gives the inside story on 23 August. Robert Singh tells the story of Grassroots Bookshop in September. The programme closes in October, during Black History Month, with Leslie Palmer MBE, who transformed Carnival between 1973 and 1975 by introducing sound systems and live bands and formalising the route. Two panels anchor the season. What It Means to Be Caribbean, on 12 August, features Eugene Dusauzay, Zara Johnson, Samuel Shervington and Symone Williams. Past, Present and Future, on 26 August, brings four generations together with Rosita Lynch, Linett Kamala, Alexander D Great and Leslie Palmer MBE. "I grew up in west London and played mas, so Carnival is part of who I am," said Yvette Reinfor, Founder and Director of More Curricular CIC. "Sixty years is a milestone worth marking properly – not just with the parade, but by sitting with the elders who built it and hearing it in their own words." Guided walks run monthly. A free exhibition, In Full Colour, opens from 17 to 19 July with artwork by local schoolchildren and family workshops. Two heritage suppers follow in August. Carnival returns on Sunday 30 and Monday 31 August. Walks are £10 each or £24 for three, under 16s free. Talks are £6. Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/ End
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