Notting Hill Carnival marks 55th year and pays tribute to the Windrush generation

Family Day of Notting Hill Carnival got underway earlier today, with people clad in elaborate costumes and fabulous feathers spotted out and along the three-mile route

Millions of people have taken to the streets of West London for the ever colourful Notting Hill Carnival, which features a nod to the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush.

Dancers were seen in an array of elaborate costumes and fabulous feathers to mark Family Day of the popular festival , now in its 56th year. Spectators enjoyed a spectacle of music, dancers and steel bands along the three mile route.

This year’s event also included a Windrush-themed double decker bus as part of the the Transport for London (TfL) float during the parade today and tomorrow. It features artwork by artist Baraka Carberry.

TfL said of the specially commissioned bus: “We’re celebrating the Windrush 75th anniversary at Notting Hill Carnival this weekend. Look out for our special zero-emission bus, designed by the artist Baraka Carberry, honouring the Windrush generation.

“We’ll be there both Sunday and Monday in the parade. Give us a wave.”

Designer Ms Carberry told the BBC: "The Windrush generation came to rebuild England after World War One. I felt it was important for this artwork to represent our past, present and future.

"I hope that it inspires young black children to make their hopes and dreams count, allowing them to become beacons which inspire future generations."

At 3pm participants took part in a 72-second silence, in honour of those who died in the Grenfell fire.

Ahead of this year’s event, Kevin Layne, who has previously starred in Star Wars and Jurassic World, shared his family’s personal history with the carnival. His father, Vernon 'Fellows' Williams, was part of the group who helped make it happen in 1964.

He told the Mirror: "I’ve got many memories of all those nights at the camp, the smells of the glue from making those wonderful costumes. The smells bring you back, to spending late nights in the camp with your aunty and your uncle cracking jokes, and anecdotes about the West Indies, my mum cooking every night for all the workers and even passers-by who wanted to grab a plate of food.

"Everyone was like family, the orientation of our band, the concept was about the family unit, us being a family band, that was always our foundation, we invited people in from all walks of life.

“There’s a lot of debate over who started the first Notting Hill Carnival, some say it was Claudia Jones, some say Selwyn Baptiste, some say it was Russel Henderson, some say it was Rhaune Laslett, the truth is it was all of them, it’s a movement, it’s not about one individual thing, it comes from a very specific place, the expression of freedom.”

London mayor Sadiq Khan said of the event: “Notting Hill Carnival is one of the world's biggest street festivals, and is part of the very fabric of our city. The community-led celebration of Caribbean history and culture embodies everything that makes London the greatest city in the world and, as we continue to work to build a fairer, more prosperous city for all, I'm delighted that it's back, bigger and better than ever.

"This fantastic celebration would simply not be possible without the hard work of the event organisers and I want to thank them along with our brilliant emergency service personnel, from the police, to the London Ambulance and the London Fire Brigade, who will be working hard over the entire weekend to keep us all safe and to ensure Carnival can be enjoyed by all Londoners and visitors.”

The Metropolitan Police made 24 arrests at Notting Hill Carnival today, including nine people found to be in possession of weapons. Other arrests included those who who have been drunk and disorderly, in possession of drugs, sexual assault and assault on an emergency worker have been made.

Met Police confirmed the atmosphere at Carnival has been "good-natured," on the whole. A Section 60 order has been imposed as a 'precautionary step from 6.20pm today until 2am tomorrow (August 28).’

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