I have read the Mayor’s Notting Hill Gate group’s report, which primarily addresses carnival management and its future sustainability. Having grown up with the Carnival over the past forty years, I began to reflect on what I might contribute to this discussion from the perspective of future generations. My hope is to consider what can be done to ensure they enjoy the Carnival as fully as we were fortunate enough to do but that easier said than possible.

Currently, the Notting Hill Carnival is a free, open-access event that attracts up to two million visitors annually, making it one of the largest street festivals in the world. While this openness is central to the carnival’s spirit, it also presents significant challenges for crowd management, safety, and policing, as seen in recent years with high-profile incidents and a heavy police presence required to maintain order.

An unpopular yet potentially transformative idea for the Notting Hill Carnival is the introduction of nominail advance payment system for attendees, paired with multiple controlled entry gates designed to enhance both safety and security.

Proposal Overview:
Advance Payment System: Attendees would be required to purchase tickets in advance, either online or at designated outlets. This system would help regulate the number of people entering the event, allowing organizers to better plan for crowd sizes and allocate resources efficiently.

Multiple Controlled Gates: Several entry points, each equipped with security screening, would be established around the carnival perimeter. This would help distribute crowds, reduce bottlenecks, and allow for more thorough safety checks — including bag searches and ID verification if needed.

Potential Benefits:
Improved Safety: Controlled access points and pre-registered attendees would make it easier to prevent overcrowding and respond quickly to emergencies.

Enhanced Security: Security checks at gates could help reduce the risk of weapons or prohibited items entering the carnival, addressing concerns raised by recent incidents.

Better Experience: With regulated numbers, facilities such as toilets, food stalls, and medical stations and above all better waste managment could be more evenly distributed and less overwhelmed.

Challenges and Criticism:
Cultural Impact: Charging for entry may be seen as undermining the carnival’s inclusive, community-driven ethos, which has always emphasized open access and celebration for all.

Accessibility: An advance payment system could exclude low-income attendees or those who decide to join at the last minute.

Logistics: Implementing ticketing and controlled gates for an event of this scale would require significant investment and coordination.

While controversial, this approach could address long-standing issues of safety and crowd control at Notting Hill Carnival, ensuring the event remains vibrant and secure for years to come.

Last got to be said For several reasons — including successive British governments imposing restrictions on Caribbean migration, the expulsion of many Caribbean nationals, and the termination of the old Commonwealth free visa system — the size of the Caribbean community in Britain has significantly diminished. Even among those who became British citizens, many from subsequent generations have chosen to move to countries like the United States. Meanwhile, waves of immigrants from around the world have settled in Notting Hill Gate and its surrounding areas.

As a result, it can be said that the festival no longer represents only the Caribbean community. This, however, does not diminish the founding principles and values upon which it was built. Rather, it highlights that today, we celebrate all the communities living in London — and even across Britain — echoing the spirit of that earlier era