Notting Hill Carnival to go digital for 2020 festival

Notting Hill Carnival will be moving online this year after the event was forced to cancel its street party due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

For the first time in its 54-year history, the west London summer staple will be streamed over four channels online over the bank holiday weekend next month, between August 29 and 31.

This year’s music and performances for the carnival were filmed over a month-long period, with Spotify to dedicate a microsite highlighting the importance of carnival culture in the UK later in August.

Matthew Phillip, executive director of Notting Hill Carnival, said: “Carnival is such an important part of people’s lives and key celebration of the multiculturalism of the UK, and we have a responsibility to our community and pioneers to honour that.

“We also have a responsibility to protect the black community and our elders by respecting social distancing and taking carnival away from the streets for this year.”

The three-day spectacle of music, dancing, food and drink usually attracts thousands of revellers to the capital for the long-standing celebration of Caribbean heritage in London.

– Details on how to register for the digital carnival can be found at www.nhcarnival.org.