Notting Hill Carnival is made up of volunteer masquerade bands, steelpan players, calypsonians, Caribbean Music DJ’s and sound systems that have been raising funds to produce and present Europe’s biggest and most successful outdoor street event for over 50 years.

 

Help us challenge the efforts of Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s (RBKC) to impose another unknown events team with no experience of this unique event, its cultural specialisms or the route management expertise that has helped the London Notting Hill Carnival Enterprises Trust (LNHCET), the official Carnival Organisers and social enterprise that includes representatives of the artistic disciplines, to maintain a safe and enjoyable event for all.

·         Please sign this petition.

Help support London’s Caribbean carnival community; generations of unpaid volunteers who have worked to produce a world class  cultural event that attracts over 1 million visitors,  generates more than £93 million for the capital and wider economy during the August Bank Holiday weekend.  

 

In 2017, instead of working in partnership with LNHCET to facilitate our efforts, RBKC imposed an external organisation with no cultural knowledge, experienced or understanding of the event. A company that was answerable to RBKC, not carnivalists! A Company that failed to provide fully briefed Events Officers for our key health and safety meeting, imposed regulations that compromised safety of carnivalists and visitors and turned away registered costume bands at their designated entry points. Families who had worked for months to prepare for the costume parade were left bewildered and in tears with disappointment.  But for the intervention and exemplary efforts of committed LNHCET Trustees and other representatives of the Artistic Disciplines, the outcome could have been even more horrendous!

 

A few days before Christmas, despite concerns raised by LNHCET trustees regarding the failures of 2017, RBKC placed a notice on its web site inviting expressions of interest from third parties to run the 2018 NHC event, with no prior consultation with LNHCET.  This tactic was designed to undermine our efforts to present and seek support for our strategic three year plan for the Carnival. 

 

·         RBKC has sought to divide us and exert control of our community Carnival through a contractor, please sign this petition to demonstrate your support for Notting Hill Carnival Artists

 

·         Carnival Artistic Disciplines and practitioners rejected both organisations who expressed an interest in running the 2018 event. Why? Neither has any or adequate experience of running a carnival much less a complex, demanding mega-event such as the Notting Hill Carnival

 

·         Help support the legacy established by Carnival Artists that has produced an event that benefits all Londoners and visitors to our culturally rich and diverse capital by signing this petition to request support from the Mayor’s Office and stakeholders.

 

Please sign and circulate the petition. Help Mas Bands, Calypsonians and Soca performers, Caribbean Music DJ’s, Static Sound Systems and Steel Bands work with LNHCET to retain our Caribbean Style Carnival and maintain its historical significance.

 

Our Carnival was created by the community! The Caribbean community has trained, studied and developed the specialist expertise needed to nurture and run it. Please sign this petition to stop RBKC’s bureaucratic efforts to undermine our heritage that has successfully attracted millions of people to it.  The £100,000 of funding made available via the RBKC tender should be used to support the Carnival infrastructure, not de-stabilise Notting Hill Carnival 2018 and future events. RBKC should be encouraging the creative Artistic Disciplines via their official organisation LNHCET, not devoting its efforts to divide and undermine us as well as introduce more risk into the premier event for the community. 

 

Our elders started the Notting Hill Carnival to bring the wider community together. Our carnival members built up the creative and multi-faceted celebrations despite the challenges encountered. We have made the Notting Hill Carnival an asset we can use to train, educate and provide work experience for the next generation.  

 

You are asked to:

·           Support our right to vote for organisations or individuals imposed on the community with consultation

·           Fight to keep our Carnival heritage.

Please sign and share!