Defending Notting Hill Carnival - 1976

Commemorating 50 years since the battle for Carnival 1976 and the republication of ‘The Road Make to Walk on Carnival Day’ by Darcus Howe.

‘The Road Make to Walk on Carnival Day’ chronicles the fierce community struggle against attempts by the council and police to push Carnival off the streets of Notting Hill — and the powerful fightback that secured its future.

Connecting Carnival’s past to its present, Matthew Phillip, CEO of Notting Hill Carnival, will be in conversation with Leila Hassan Howe, former Race Today Collective member and part of the 1970s Race Today Renegades mas band. The discussion will be moderated by Kayne Kawasaki, historian and cultural theorist. His successful campaign for the Notting Hill Carnival billboard honouring Kelso Cochrane helped cement its legacy for a new generation.

An accompanying exhibition brings the drama of 1976 vividly to life through striking, era defining images.