Notting Hill Carnival is now a staple in London’s calendar ... The euphoric celebrations that now characterise the weekend mask a traumatic and pained racial history that is often overlooked ...

Surviving depictions show black revellers wearing whiteface and devil masks, or dressing as bats ... A West Indian couple dancing at the first 'Notting Hill Carnival' on 30th January 1959.

What to expect First launched as an offshoot of the Trinidad Carnival, the Notting Hill Carnival has stayed true to its Caribbean origin, despite expanding massively since the first one over 50 ...

What started off as costumes that were a riposte to racist government policies and to highlight the struggles of the West Indian community have become diluted over the years at Notting Hill ...