One thing we are great at doing in our community is talking about topics, generally in small groups amongst our friends and usually with very little / or no productive change happening after all the talking.

What we actually need to start doing is taking productive action around the topics we talk about.

There is one very popular topic in our community. Notting Hill Carnival.

There has been many discussions from heated to liming banter about Notting Hill Carnival. Nicole Ferdinand has gone beyond the talk and has created Carnival Futures, Notting Hill Carnival 2020. It is a project that looks at building possible scenarios for the future of carnival.

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Here is the latest newsletter from Carnival Futures

Carnival Futures: Notting Hill Carnival 2020 is Launched!

On September 23rd – 25th 2013, the Notting Hill Carnival community met to plan for future of the Notting Hill Carnival. In a series of half-day workshops organisers, attendees and representatives from a range of public and private sector organisations engaged in the process of scenario planning, with a view to crafting multiple future scenarios for the Notting Hill Carnival. On November 13th 2013, at the Trinidad and Tobago High Commission in London, the results of their efforts were revealed. This issue of the Carnival Futures News provides an outline of the main findings of the project.

How were the scenarios created?

The scenarios were crafted using a combination of environmental factors and internal characteristics which were detailed by a broad group of stakeholders, with the most important aspects being used to craft the scenarios. The key environmental factors identified were the funding environment and the new crop of emerging carnivalists coming out of the diverse cultural community in London. These factors were used to create two sets of opposing axes into which four different scenarios could be developed. The core characteristics identified for the Carnival were music, transformation, tradition and the sense of freedom which comes from the street atmosphere.

The Scenarios

Cultural Celebration

In this scenario the carnival is a celebration of Caribbean cultural traditions. It features Caribbean culture exclusively. The battles of steel bands and of the bands of costumed revellers are its highlights. The music is reggae, calypso and soca. Likely additions are film and art exhibitions featuring Caribbean cultural art forms. The Carnival stays true to its roots and remains in the streets of Notting Hill.

Tourist Spectacle

This event is one which strives to bring Caribbean culture to as wide an audience as possible. While retaining some authentic aspects, it includes other more commercial aspects to broaden its appeal. Alongside calypso and reggae artists, there will be well-known dance hall, grime and garage artists and top DJs. This event caters to the audience’s needs and provides an enclosed comfortable venue where they can feel secure whilst enjoying the Carnival.

International Arts Festival

In this scenario the Carnival builds on its fame of being Europe’s biggest street party to become of a world Mecca for Carnival arts and artists. This event will attract global media attention and will showcase the world’s leading Carnival artists in London’s world-famous iconic venues, such Royal Albert Hall, Excel and its Olympic Park. The event will run over 1-2 weeks featuring a range of day and night performances which will be televised.

Cultural Fusion

In this Carnival Rhuane Laslett’s dream of a multi-cultural festival bringing together London’s diverse cultural and ethnic communities is realised. However, it goes beyond her 1964 vision by taking into account the new hybridized cultures that London has now produced. This event provides a platform for fusion art forms to be displayed and created. It will draw heavily on the host of grass root organisations that are creating art in London. It will take place in a green open space allowing for freedom of both movement and creativity.

Beyond Carnival Futures

Carnival Futures is meant to be a starting point for discussion and planning for the future of the Notting Hill Carnival. Among the key recommendations is the recruiting of younger people to join the leadership of carnival organisations. FestiM – the Festival Impact Monitor is a project that follows on from Carnival Futures: Notting Hill Carnival 2020. It seeks to understand and evaluate the conversations of younger people especially on social media platforms about festivals. For more on this project, please see this link.

Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Robin Croft for the cover image used in the month’s issue. The images used for the scenarios were provided by Panpodium, the London School of Samba and the Association of British Calypsonians.