Notting Hill Carnival Through the Lens of Ian Watts

Join photographer Ian Watts and curator Lisa Anderson for an in-depth conversation exploring one of the UK’s most significant photographic archives of the Notting Hill Carnival and Black British life.

Spanning the 1980s to 2000s, his photographs document the vibrancy, resistance, and community spirit at the heart of Carnival culture.

The evening features projected images from Watts’ archive, accompanied by a tailor-made soundscape by music producer BlackMale Beats. It coincides with a month-long public display of Watts’ Carnival photography on the Outernet London screens throughout October, bringing this vital visual history into the heart of the city for Black History Month 2025.

Stay for the Q&A at the end where there will be the opportunity to ask your burning questions!

Held at Camden Town Hall, the venue has historic significance as the site where activist Claudia Jones organised the first Caribbean Carnival in Britain in 1959 – a celebration that inspired Notting Hill Carnival and many others across the UK.

Tickets are Pay What You Can, with all donations supporting the Umoja Health Forum – a Camden charity championing health and wellbeing in African & Caribbean communities.

Part of Camden’s 2025 Black History Season Programme.