This year Notting Hill Carnival celebrated sixty years, debates about it parentage notwithstanding. (1) It occupies a unique place in UK society being at once an acknowledged part of the social calendar while subject to increasingly visceral opposition from the police and much of the media, the pushback against this by the organisers has been muted at best. (2) Perhaps this apparent lack of conviction is a feature rather than a bug. For example, The 60th anniversary merchandise, surely an opportunity to capitalise on a well established brand, has been described as lacklustre. On the other hand it could be argued that attention may have been diverted due to the fact that in spite of generating £400 million for the economy, the event has spent the last few years fighting for its very existence due to lack of funding. (3)
Yet keeping such an institution going for six decades is a remarkable achievement but surely it now due to evaluate its role within the community and society at large. This is certainly a topic issue that animates cultural educator and legacy writer Kelyon “Coach Kelz” Ross. He is very concerned with an issue at the “heart of Caribbean Britain, namely how we approach “institutional continuity”:
“What enables communities to build, sustain, adapt and successfully transfer institutions from one generation to the next despite changing social, political and economic conditions?” (4)
Coach Kelz has addressed these issues and across a series of books and is vigorously engaging the community through interviews, community conversations, fieldwork, surveys and public events.
One such event will feature his written works as part of an going process: “The books tell the story. The Inquiry asks the questions. The room considers what we do next.” (5)
He continues:
“From Carnival and Windrush to education, economics, ownership, governance, policing, identity, cultural preservation, young people and institutional continuity, The Road Ahead is an opportunity for different generations and perspectives to meet in the same room.
It is also an opportunity to move beyond simply asking what happened to Caribbean Britain and towards considering what we have built, what has survived, what we have learned — and what that knowledge might now enable us and others to build.
Because the ultimate question is not simply what we inherited.
It is what we are going to build, strengthen and pass on.” (6)
1) Mike Phillips and Trevor Phillips (2023) Windrush: 75 Years of Modern Britain. Mudlark. p. 267; Ishmahil Blagrove Jr (Ed) (2023) The Frontline: A story of struggle , resistance and Black identity in Notting Hill. Rice N Peas. p. 217
(2) Afrika Speaks with Alkebu-Lan on Galaxy Radio (28/07/25) Can Notting Hill Carnival survive? https://alkebulan.org/2025/07/27/aswag-547-can-nhc-survive/
(3) Vic Motune (02/08/24) EXCLUSIVE: Carnival generates £396 million for London’s economy. https://www.voice-onlin e.co.uk/news/uk-news/2024/08/02/carnival-generates-396-million-for-londons-economy/ According to JN Bank economist James Williams’ study for The Voice: “For instance, if the Carnival generates an initial spending of £1 million, this might lead to a total economic output of £2 million. This means that for every £1 spent, the economy benefits by £2, giving us a multiplier of two. So, I estimate that the total economic impact of the Notting Hill Carnival, after applying a conservative economic multiplier of 1.1, and using conservative estimates, is approximately £492,826,950.”; Sinai Fleary (28/04/25) Notting Hill Carnival in jeopardy, says leaked letter. https://www.voice-online.co.uk/news/uk-news/2025/06/19/notting-hill-carnival-in-jeopardy-says-leaked-letter/ https://alkebulan.org/2025/04/28/aswag-534-triple-centenary/; Alexandra Topping. (30/09/11) Is it all over for Notting Hill carnival? https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2011/sep/30/notting-hill-carnival-future-doubt; Symeon Brown (23/08/14) Is Notting Hill carnival in danger of losing its soul? https://www.channel4.com/news/notting-hill-carnival-50-years-london-video
(4) Kelyon “Coach Kelz” Ross (2026) Caribbean Britain: The Road Ahead. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/caribbean-britain-the-road-ahead-tickets-2000358265420?aff=oddtdtcreator
(5) Ibid
(6) Ibid
we ask the question:
What role does Carnival play in Black UK History?
1) How many of us have good overstanding of the origins of Notting Hill Carnival?
2) What are the dominant narratives around carnival and who drives them?
3) What is “institutional continuity”?
4) What kind of structure is would be needed to advance it?
Our Special Guest:
Bro. Kelyon “Coach Kelz” Ross: is a cultural educator, legacy writer, and advocate for African-Caribbean heritage in Britain. With a background spanning academia, creative arts, and grassroots mentoring, he is the author of the “Caribbean Britain: Our Legacy, Our Fight” book series and the force behind the Notting Hill Carnival 60th Anniversary campaign. Drawing from his Windrush lineage and Pan-African values, Kelz blends history, lived experience, and strategic activism to challenge erasure, amplify unheard voices, and protect cultural traditions under threat. His mission is rooted in truth, order, and ancestral accountability — to honour the past, confront the present, and secure a future of dignity and ownership for his people.
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