Good morning. Anyone straying near west London this bank holiday weekend will hear thumping bass from the Notting Hill carnival. Two million revellers will be drawn to the streets draped in flags and decked in jewels to enjoy the world’s second largest carnival after Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
London’s celebration of Caribbean heritage, arts and culture dates back to 1966. Yesterday was family day, with streets lined with hundreds of food stalls and smoke from barbecues filling the air. Today will be the bigger celebration, with huge crowds and more partying, attracting people from around the globe with parades, soca music and masquerade bands.
But this year’s carnival almost didn’t happen. It was saved a few weeks ago only by a £1m cash injection from the local council, but funding hasn’t been the only problem: disagreements have been boiling over about policing, use of facial recognition software, and negative press after a shocking death last year.
For today’s newsletter, I spoke to Guardian arts and culture correspondent Lanre Bakare about the past of this iconic cultural event, and whether recent funding issues say anything about its future. That’s after the headlines.
Five big stories
Israel-Gaza war | Israeli aircraft and tanks have pounded the eastern and northern outskirts of Gaza City, destroying buildings and homes, as Israeli leaders vowed to press on with an expanded large-scale offensive on the city.
Politics | MPs have raised the alarm about a rise in abuse linked to debates around immigration, with some reporting levels of online harassment and death threats worse than during the Brexit years.
UK news | Ministers will legislate next month to abolish most short prison sentences, toughen up community punishments and introduce a Texas-inspired system whereby inmates can earn early release as part of an attempt to avert another prison crisis.
US news | Donald Trump has “manufactured a crisis” to justify the notion of sending federalised national guard troops into Chicago next, over the heads of local leaders, a leading Democrat said.
Ukraine | Moscow has accused Kyiv of launching dozens of drone attacks, including one that sparked a fire at a nuclear power plant, as Ukrainians marked 34 years since the country gained independence from the Soviet Union.
In depth: ‘There’s so many people for whom carnival is the centre of their year’
Historians believe the idea of carnival was started by enslaved people in Trinidad and Tobago in the late 18th century, engaging in satirical reenactments to mock their oppressors. “Carnival has always been this very subversive, chaotic thing,” said Lanre Bakare.
The carnival in London dates back almost seven decades, starting as a celebration of resistance in an openly racist Britain. The first version of the carnival was created by a remarkable racial equality activist called Claudia Jones, who wanted to bring Caribbean culture to the forefront of British life. “There’s so many people for whom it is the centre of their year – it’s like Christmas, or Eid. It’s a huge event for people – especially those of Caribbean descent,” said Lanre.
During the seventies, amid wider racial tensions in Britain and the growing presence of far right groups such as the National Front, conflict with the police during carnival swelled. The most famous flashpoint was in 1976 when there were serious riots after heavy policing. It signaled the start of a style of policing that was typified by heavy duty fencing, larger police numbers and stricter curfews.
Many felt the carnival was being seen by authorities as a site of disorder as opposed to a celebration of culture. Activists defended it as a vital expression of Black British culture, and the festival became a symbol of resistance. “That seems a key turning point,” said Lanre. “Black people took on the police and said, ‘this is our event, and we’re going to run it the way we want’, and that changed the way that carnival was policed. And we can still see the legacy of that today.”
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Why can’t carnival find funding?
In June, it emerged the celebration could be in jeopardy without “urgent funding” from the government, according to a leaked letter from its organisers.
The event’s future was secured just in time this year after City Hall, Kensington and Chelsea council and Westminster city council together provided £958,000 for the event after pleas from organisers for support. The deputy leader of Kensington and Chelsea council said the additional funding it provided would be for “this year only” (the council already has an £80m budget gap).
Last year’s carnival was marred by the violent murder of 32-year-old Cher Maximen, who was killed in front of her three-year-old daughter on family day.
For many commentators, crime and violence is the only story of the weekend – it is viewed through the prism of crime in a way that other festivals are not. However, arrest rates at Notting Hill carnival have been very similar to those at music festivals such as Glastonbury, especially when the huge size of the carnival crowds is taken into account.
“If you look at the way black culture and black people are covered in the mainstream press in general, often it is in the context of crime and criminality. Especially for media on the right, there is a bit of an obsession with that and I think it’s fair to say that some of that coverage is racist,” said Lanre.
This narrative has serious implications for efforts to get funding. “It’s getting harder for the carnival to get sponsorship because of the constant negative press coverage of the event, which really focuses on crime,” Lanre added.
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What are the issues with facial recognition?
The size of the carnival makes it the largest public order challenge for the Metropolitan police. Each year about 7,000 police are deployed. Figures released in 2023 put the cost of policing the event at £11.7m.
The Met said last month it would deploy specially mounted cameras at entries and exits amid staff shortages, thanks to budget cuts, and a rise in the number of protests they have to cover, particularly related to Palestine and the environment. The Met claim that the aim of using this facial recognition technology is to extract unique biometric data from people’s faces and compare it against a “watchlist” of thousands of people already sought by the police, indicating a level of policing not present at other festivals.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has pointed out the problem with this sort of technology use, and said it could have a “chilling effect” on individuals’ rights. Data seen by the EHRC shows that the number of black men triggering an “alert” by the technology is higher than would be expected proportionally when compared with the population of London. And the framing of the event in terms of its potential for public disorder before it’s even started has been called out before, with the Met police linking knife and drug seizures as far away as Catford in south London to the carnival starting in the following days.
“The police are there with technology that isn’t really proven, and it does have serious flaws in it. Yet it’s being road-tested at an event which is attended by some of the most over-policed people in the UK, so there’s a tension there,” said Lanre.
Down the decades the scenes of officers strutting their stuff was seen as a cheesy but welcome attempt at repairing strained community relations, writes Vikram Dodd. But in a further blow to the spirit of the carnival, the Met also released a statement earlier this month stating it would ban police from dancing. In a statement the Metropolitan police said officers “are there to keep revellers safe, not to join in the revelling”. Clearly they feel a rhythmic shake of the hips may distract or slow down any one of their 7,000 officers.
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What does this all mean for the future of carnival?
All of this has led to further discussion about the management of carnival, in ways that many feel would limit its scope and its soul.
Susan Hall, leader of the Conservative group at City Hall, said that the event should be ticketed to control the crowds. Some have suggested moving the carnival to Hyde Park, or somewhere that is more open, to make policing easier.
“When people talk about ticketing, or moving into Hyde Park, there is a fundamental misunderstanding of what carnival is. It isn’t just a party, it’s an expression of Caribbean culture – first and foremost – and it’s also a rebellious thing. It’s not something you can just stick anywhere,” said Lanre. Eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt, who went to carnival on Sunday, said any attempt to move it out of its traditional home would kill one of the UK’s most important cultural events.
Ian Comfort, chair of Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, says if the funding situation doesn’t change his company wouldn’t be able to run carnival because it wouldn’t be safe.
“There is nothing like carnival. It is completely unique and yet the organisation that runs it gets no funding from DCMS [Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport] or from the Arts Council,” said Lanre. “Carnival needs to be seen in the same way that the Royal Opera House or the National Portrait Gallery are.”
Lanre said he doesn’t see a future where Notting Hill carnival is fully shut down anywhere on the horizon. But, he added, “The key to it becoming sustainable is for the funding model to change, and for the attitude towards it to change.”
What else we’ve been reading
Gaby Hinsliff’s excellent interview with a slightly squirmy Nick Clegg is a fascinating insight into the former deputy prime minister, as he reflects on the lessons Labour can learn to prevent Britain falling down the same rightwing populist path. Tara Russell, newsletters team
The Guardian successfully defended a libel action brought by Noel Clarke over our investigation in which the actor was accused of sexual misconduct by more than 20 women. In case you missed it, this engrossing run-down of the case by my brilliant colleague Haroon Siddique is well worth a read. Aamna
I loved Kaamil Ahmed’s piece reporting on protests for Indigenous land rights recognition on lands which are now occupied by a tiger reserve in India. Kaamil sheds light on the complex challenges of decolonisation. Tara
Food writer Corin Hirsch learned she was adopted as a young child. As an adult, she faced painful rejection when she tried to reunite with her birth mother. Then a straight-talking judge helped her. Aamna
Michael Hogan’s interview with Alison Hammond is pure serotonin. From the presenter’s Bake-Off antics to her disarmingly honest reflections on grief, it’s hard to read this one without grinning. Tara
Sport
Football | In their first game at Hill Dickinson Stadium, Everton defeated Brighton 2-0, with Man City loanee Jack Grealish turning in a strong performance. In Sunday’s other Premier League game, Emil Smith-Rowe’s late equaliser earned Fulham a point against Manchester United.
Tennis | Emma Raducanu overcame a significant mental hurdle and earned her first US Open victory since her 2021 title run, dispatching Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara with a dominant 6-1, 6-2 display.
Rugby | Ireland opened their Women’s Rugby World Cup journey with a decisive six-try win over Japan at Franklin’s Gardens, giving them hope of making the last eight. Ireland is set to play Spain in a second Pool C game next Sunday.
The front pages
“MPs report sharp rise in online abuse over the immigration debate,” is the headline on Guardian on Monday, as the Times runs with “Pressure grows for PM to get grip on asylum claims,” and the i: “Channel migrants first for fast-track asylum hearings as Cooper moves to close hotels.”
“Virginia’s revenge,” is the lead story at the Sun, focusing on a new book by Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s most prominent accusers, which is set to be published posthumously. “Whitewash”, says the Mirror, with the following subhead: “Victims of Epstein slam Maxwell lies.” “Andrew facing bombshell new Epstein book,” is the headline at the Mail.
“Trump has cut off Kyiv’s long-range missiles,” says the Telegraph, while the FT has: “Private equity firms offer ‘cascade of discounts’ in scramble to raise money.”
Finally the Sun with “Airport boozing is plane crazy” and the Star: “Hotter than Morocco.”
Today in Focus
Missing in the Amazon: the disappearance
Three years ago, the British journalist Dom Phillips and the Brazilian Indigenous defender Bruno Pereira vanished while on a reporting trip near Brazil’s remote Javari valley. In the first episode of a six-part investigative podcast series, the Guardian’s Latin America correspondent, Tom Phillips, investigates what happened.
Cartoon of the day | Edith Pritchett
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The Upside
A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad
Cameron Mofid was 20 when Covid caused his OCD symptoms to spiral, with little to do he scrolled through travel destinations on his laptop. He discovered that more people had been to space than all 195 countries in the world. Noticing that the youngest person to do so was 27, Mofid set the goal of beating this record.
After five years of journeying, including: imprisonment in Djibouti, detainment in Afghanisation and walking to Estonia from Russia mid-war because the airspace was closed, Mofid achieved his goal in April 2025 after gaining an athlete visa to North Korea.
Mofid now he sees his OCD as his superpower, and values the innate curiosity and empathy he developed through his adventure.
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Bored at work?
And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
