Notting Hill Carnival 2022

The iconic Notting Hill Carnival is an annual, 2-day event that takes place among the African-Caribbean community on the streets of the Notting Hill district in West London, over a long weekend at the end of August. It has its origins in the Carnival traditions of the Caribbean and Latin America and arose in London in response to the social and political conditions experienced by the post-1948 migration of people from the Caribbean.

The images in this section of the website were all taken on 29th August 2022, the year when two million visitors attended the Carnival.

When taking photographs of such an event it is easy to become a mere observer of the activity, rather than a participant. Through direct eye contact I interact with the performers and there is an exchange of energy.  I become a contributor, a collaborator and ultimately, through this website, a promoter of the event.

I heard performers say on a number of occasions, that they “never get to see these photographs”. I hope the pictures presented here, and in future years, will go some way towards remedying that oversight.