Created for the first time in 2021, an ode to Carnival has been born. A city within a city where the highest form of expresssion through dance, music & art takes place for a whole weekend.
Running from Saturday 28 - Monday 30 August 2021, this city of Carnival allows you to immerse yourself in the energy of Mas'querade.
Once again we bring all the family together to celebrate our love of the Caribbean & Carnival!
All are welcome, so come bring the babies & your granny. Grab your flags, rags, whistles, horns & even your own costume. Let's soak in the vibes & experience the vibrant colourful energy of Caribbean & Creole culture.
There's gonna be Live Music & DJs to keep you moving all weekend and you can get your creative juices flowing in our Carnival Creators make & create hub to share your creations on Monday Mas. You can eat delicious food & drink some Caribbean Punch, shop till you drop in the markets, come dance & sing while you wave those flags.
We capture the spirit of Carnival from around the world. From our own Notting Hill Carnival to Brazil Carnival, Trinidad Carnival, Spice Mas, Vincy Mas, Cropover & all the other days of revelry held globally, we hold space till they return.
CARNIVAL! The emancipation of life, love, spirit & freedom of movement.
Why not dress like it's a mas glitter, feathers, jewellery and costume encouraged
Carnival is the impulsivity of taking to the streets with freedom, revellery & fun. With all the colour, creativity & excitement of sharing your passion to be who & whatever you want to be in that moment of time, is... magic!
The participation in Carnival gave way for previously enslaved Africans across the various Dutch, British, Spanish, French & Portuguese colonies the opportunity to take over & redefine what freedom of expression really looked like. By bringing back their own traditions which had been hidden & supressed for too long, the people brought all the pain, suffering & cries for freedom to the streets & exploded it into somehting beautiful, magical & joyous. De Mas was born.
Today all we often see is the end reult of joy or the negativity of chaotic erruptions but Carnival is so much more than either or. It is layered, deep & dripping with emotion. It's political, its traditional, its ever evolving.
An idea came to celebrate, amplify & facilitate the expression of Caribbean & Black British culture all year round in a fun & open way which would appeal to many. As an organisation there was a feeling that as diverse as London is, there is always something missing from the landscape of celebrating families, friendships, community...essentially we are always just missing that density of occupation of black & culture & people in public spaces across London & the UK.
Since 2018 we've been working to do our part to fix this.