JANUARY | FEATURE
With 2 million people having attended the 2019 edition , Notting Hill Carnival is arguably the biggest event of its kind in the world . Despite the spectre of Covid-19 , Carnival director Matthew Phillip tells Access that he is building on the success of its first digital edition while preparing for the event ’ s realworld comeback .
Words : Christopher Barrett
Mas Entertainment
Notting Hill Carnival has been the UK ’ s biggest and brightest street party since the mid 1960s . An explosion of spectacular costumes and pumping rhythms against a backdrop of colourful Caribbean culture and cuisine ; the inimitable event was sorely missed in 2020 .
For the event ’ s executive director Mathew Phillip , the sights and sounds of Carnival have been ingrained in his upbringing from an early age . For him , and his family , the event has long been much more than a two-day party over the August Bank Holiday weekend .
Phillip ’ s father was a co-founder of one of the oldest and most popular mas bands in London , the Mangrove Masquerade Band . Mas is short for masquerade , and the steel band , with players characteristically bedecked in eye-catching costumes , has been a prominent feature of Carnival for more than four decades .
Phillip made his Carnival debut at the age of two , in a pushchair , but his first recollection of being there was aged eight ; dressed up in a flamboyant costume and immersed in the energy and atmosphere of the party .
“ A lot of my memories involve the preparation , the steel band rehearsing on All Saints Road , the ‘ mas camp ’
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