#NHCisMe

In 2019 we approached Film maker Fiona Compton with our idea for a short video to launch our hashtag campaign. #NHCisMe was to be a platform for the voices of Carnival to share their stories and views of Carnival past, present and future. Every year hundreds of thousands of people from all over the globe enjoy taking part in Notting Hill Carnival. Last year an estimated 1.5 million attended and experienced the sense of global community that Carnival brings.

However, so often those within the community who create Carnival and those who attend don’t get heard. The click-bait headlines sadly ignore all the positivity that Carnival generates. We explained to Fiona we wanted to tell our story from within. To spotlight some of the faces and voices of NHC... and so, between us, we invited 20 Carnivalists to talk to camera about what Notting Hill Carnival means to them. Why they love it? Why they feel it is a part of them, and why they take part year on year?

We knew the videos would highlight varied perceptions, demonstrating that Carnival resonates with so many... for different reasons, and yet at its core is community and unity. Initially we set out to do one video featuring all our dedicated Carnivalists, but we quickly realised these stories and voices could not be edited and left only partially heard. So the project grew from one video to 14.

Please create your own #NHCisMe videos, from your phones is fine. Tell us why you feel NHC is you. Hashtag #NHCisMe and tag us in your posts we would love to see them. Our handles are @NHCarnivalLDN

All 15 videos are below and on the YouTube playlist.