1959, 30 January: a "Caribbean Carnival" was held in St Pancras Town Hall. This annual event was organised by Claudia Jones and directed by Edric Connor (husband of Pearl Connor). It featured calypso, steel bands, and a beauty contest. Jones organised a similar event every year until her death in 1964.
1966, August: The first outdoor multi-day event was held in Notting Hill. This was organised by Rhaune Laslett and others from the London Free School. Not being restricted to the Caribbean culture, it promoted cultural unity in the area. A street party organised for the local children turned into a carnival procession.
1973-5: Leslie Palmer was director and introduced many significant changes.
The origin story of the Carnival has caused some friction in the past. The (2025: a dead link) summarised some of the difficulty: “Ask anyone involved who owns carnival and they will say the same thing: the people. The trouble is, which people? Since Rhaune Laslett handed over responsibility for the carnival, the primary body organising the event has split, reinvented itself, then split again several times. It has been called the Carnival Development Committee, the Carnival Arts Committee, the Carnival Enterprise Committee and, at present, the Notting Hill Carnival Trust, which is itself riven by internal rows. Each group has its own version of the carnival's history and development.”
The is, one hopes, an even-handed telling of the story.
Mas (masquerade) is an important element of Carnival. mas bands work together to create coordinated themed costumes in which they parade and competing for prizes.
Sources include: .
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