Descriptive Essay on a Carnival

The Notting Hill Carnival (NHC)

“Events have a range of impacts-both positive and negative-it is the task of the event manager to identify and predict these impacts and then to manage them to achieve the best outcomes for all parties, so that on balance the overall impact of the event is positive. To achieve this, the event manager must develop and maximize all the foreseeable positive impacts and counter all the negative impacts ...” (Bowdin et al., 2011:80). Using examples of impacts affecting the Notting Hill Carnival (NHC), suggest how the event manager can present an overall positive impact.

This essay will present the principles of events management. Different events have got different impacts - positive and negative. Great emphasis is often placed on the financial impacts of events partly because such impacts are the most easily assessed however local and national government policies commonly acknowledge the “triple bottom line” of social, economic, and environmental goals/yardstick in relation to events (Bowdin et al., 2011:80). Social and cultural benefits, for example, are vital contributors (Bowdin et al., 2011:80). London and England organize a lot of annual, major international events. The Notting Hill Carnival (NHC) attracts more than 10,000 participants, about 850,000 spectators, and about 12,000 security personnel (Bowdin et al., 2011:88). According to the official thelondonnottinghill.com page and newspaper timeout.com around 2 million attendees from Europe, the Caribbean and different regions of the UK come to London nowadays. In comparison, London Marathon attracts more participants than (NHC). 34,000 runners come to the London marathon every year. One of the most famous and ancient events in England is Epson Derby in which 1,000 participants take part, including 3,000 VIPs and dignitaries. About 100,000 spectators attend Epson Derby annually. 1,000 security personnel make the event safe.

Research suggests that local communities often value the “feel-good” of events (Bowdin et al., 2011:83). However, for the majority of runners it provides an opportunity to raise funds for their favored charities (Bowdin et al., 2011:83). Bowdin 2011:84 states the London Marathon has raised £450 million since 1981. Furthermore, Bowdin 2011:84 says Notting Hill Carnival has earned £93 million pounds to London budget. NHC is also a triumph for cultural and social cohesion in London (London.gov.uk, 2019). According to the official thenottinghill.com page, the first mention of a Caribbean celebration was in 1959 when a carnival was held at St. Pancras Town Hall in London to settle down the race relations between indigenous British residents and the Caribbean natives. The first event in 1959 spurred on the yearly carnival that includes a large parade with speakers lining its route sharing Caribbean history, colorful vivid representations of Caribbean traditions, and countless displays of the Technicolor wares of this island nation. Revelry includes parties, foods, and tropical drinks, many catering to favorite ingredients like rum. The streets are full of music performed by: The mahogany band, that is famous all over the World; Ufo Steel Band; CSF aka Caribbean Steel International band, and others. A Children’s Parade stroll through the streets during the day and at night as children dance and perform in ornate costumes, swirling the brilliant-colored clothing. NHC is free, and no tickets are necessary (Notting Hill Carnival, 2019). Inspire of all the positive impacts of the carnival, it has got some negative impacts. The most unpleasant impact is the fears of native Londoners. The businessmen are afraid to have their shop windows crashed. They prepare beforehand and board the windows and doors (London.gov.uk, 2019). People living in the streets of the parade hate the noise made by the loudspeakers and 39 Sound systems all through the night. At night people suffer a nightmare, violence, and the smell of urination because of the lack of toilets. Also, there are gangs of drunk or drug-affected guys on the streets (London.gov.uk, 2019). The police suggest minimizing the noise before the night of the sound systems and even relocating the carnival either to Hyde park or any other venue (London.gov.uk, 2019). Because of these negative impacts, many Londoners leave London for the weekend. Taking into account the physical and environmental impact, a manager should consider very carefully the location in which the event takes place.

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Furthermore, this impact will be fairly contained if the event is to be held in a suitable purpose-built venue, a stadium, a sports ground, showground, a conference, or an exhibition center (Bowdin et al., 2011:89). NHC is stretching about 3,5 miles in the West End. This long parade is so numerous, that the narrow streets of London often become blocked up (London.gov.uk, 2019). The police working together with the stakeholders try to make the deployment clear to the participants (London.gov.uk, 2019). Avery's positive impact recently is the use of new technologies: The apps which help people to announce some incidents; The screens which inform people about the recent events of music, shows (London.gov.uk, 2019). On the other hand, there are some negative impacts of the carnival. These are afterparties when the participants continue the celebration, and make noise at night. After the carnival, they leave a lot of litter and the remains of food. The distraction of heritage is also one of the negative impacts (London.gov.uk, 2019).

What concerns international prestige, NHC has become very famous not only in the Caribbean islands but in Europe as well. It attracts thousands of tourists, hundreds of participants, and local communities. The most important objective of the Carnival is social cohesion, reduction of racial tension, and friendship among different people (Notting Hill Carnival, 2019).

A lot of tourists come to NHC in August. They stay at hotels, go to restaurants, buy souvenirs and gifts and so they increase yields for businessmen as a Source: adapted from Hall, 1989. £93 million go to the budget of London. 3,000 full-time jobs are created every year before and during the Carnival. Some parts of the community still are not happy to have crowds of visitors in their location. So, the task of the Westminster Council and the Mayor is to reduce this negative impact. (Bowdin et al., 2011:81)

In conclusion, the history of the NHC proves that it has grown into a large-scale event. The Carnival has overall positive impact as it has helped the local retailers, the artists, the musical bands to develop and event managers get more experienced and stronger, bringing social and cultural cohesion, and reducing racial tension. Overall it has grown into the large’s carnival in Europe.