This year, Notting Hill Carnival makes its grand return to the streets of West London after two years away. It’s fitting timing, too, since this year marks 60 years of Jamaican Independence.
The ripple effect of the cultural lightning bolt that hit the United Kingdom when the Windrush Generation arrived at The Tilbury Docks in Essex in 1948 cannot be understated. In the years that followed, ska, reggae, dancehall, soca and more have embedded themselves in the musical lineage and sparked movements of our own, like lovers rock, jungle, UK garage, grime, dubstep, UK funky, and you can hear echoes of it in our world-conquering rap scene too.
To celebrate both Carnival’s triumphant return and six decades of Jamaican influence, famed rum brand Wray & Nephew are hosting their own stage at the West London celebration. On Sunday 28th August, they’ll be posted up at Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance Park, Bosworth Road. So far, they’re keeping the line-up very close to their chests, but expect an A-list-heavy roll call of DJs and artists from both side of the Atlantic.
