‘Is real mas outside’: Community, Resistance and Notting Hill Carnival

The first London Carnival, held in St Pancras Town Hall in 1959, was a political and creative response to the Notting Hill Race Riots of 1958. The carnival took to the streets in 1966 and since then, Notting Hill Carnival has become a mainstream success, often described and marketed as ‘Europe’s biggest street party’. Regardless of the commercialisation of Notting Hill Carnival, a spirit of protest continues to define and underpin the annual festivities. Through a consideration of contemporary and historical carnival practices such as the existence of mas bands, creation of costumes, and visibility of Black people in an increasingly gentrified London borough, this chapter will explore the articulation of community and resistance that has been, and continues to be, so central to the spirit of Notting Hill Carnival.