This year’s Notting Hill Carnival will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the docking of HMT Empire Windrush, its organisers have said.
The flagship event, the largest street party in Europe, will remember the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush in Tilbury Docks on June 22 1948 from the Caribbean.
Members of the Windrush Generation were leading organisers of the Carnival, said organisers, and played a vital part in rebuilding the UK after World War Two.
Matthew Phillip, CEO of Notting Hill Carnival, said: “2023 is the Windrush 75 anniversary. A momentous occasion that allows us to reflect on the tremendous contributions and enduring legacy of the Windrush generation, while also acknowledging the painful chapter that was the Windrush scandal.
“We must confront the fact that members of this very generation, who dedicated their lives to our country, faced unwarranted challenges and discrimination.
“The mistreatment they endured was a dark stain on our history and we must commit ourselves to ensuring such injustices are never repeated.
“As we commemorate the Windrush 75 anniversary, let us honour the resilience and strength of the Windrush generation.
“Let us pay homage to their contributions, while also recognising the need for continued progress and justice.”
Also being celebrated at the carnival, which takes place in Notting Hill and parts of Kensington on the August bank holiday weekend, is the 50th anniversary of the introduction of Mas and Sound Systems.
There are 39 of the sound systems, which originated from Jamaica, used at the carnival.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “This year’s event is particularly significant, as we mark the 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush and celebrate the contributions of this remarkable generation and their descendants.
“The sheer breadth of events taking place over the course of the weekend embody everything that makes London the greatest city in the world: inclusivity, diversity, and acceptance.”
Notting Hill Carnival was founded as a result of the Notting Hill race riots of 1958, following the murder of Kelso Cochrane.
Claudia Jones, a Trinidadian human rights activist and founder of the West Indian Gazette, organised the ‘Caribbean Carnival’, a community-led response to the riots in 1959.
The Caribbean Carnival morphed into the Notting Hill Carnival in 1966, after Claudia’s death, when social worker Rhaune Laslett organised an event for the local children of Notting Hill.
