Hackney Carnival interviews

Interviews with carnival experts on the then and now of Hackney’s Carnival.

Gahu carnival group performing at carnival 2024

When asked to describe the spirit of Hackney Carnival, there was overwhelming agreement that it is firmly rooted in the communities of Hackney and is strengthened by the cultural diversity of all who take part.

However, it should not be forgotten that carnival is based on a historically and culturally specific model of colonization in the Caribbean and many of the traditions that were brought here by the Windrush generation.

The early days

Hackney’s archive reveals that there have been community carnivals in the borough since the 1900s, mainly of the old English, patriotic style, including Shoreditch and Finsbury Park carnivals.

The first carnival in Hackney is believed to have started as the Street Carnival Theatre in De Beauvoir, organised by Centerprise, in 1973. It was later known as the Hackney Mare de Gras.

The Hackney Youth Carnival Parade is also fondly remembered by Marva Antoine, of Tropical Isles:

I used to run the Hackney Youth Carnival every July for four years. It ran from Stoke Newington Church Street to Millfields Park. It stopped in 2008 when carnival groups started working towards the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

This was the start of the Hackney One Carnival, which was set up by 15 carnival groups who came together with Hackney Council to prepare for carnival in 2012. By 2017, the annual event had simplified its name to Hackney Carnival.

Memories

Since the 70s the borough has been home to many carnival groups that have their roots in Caribbean culture including the influential Perpetual Beauty Carnival Association, set up in the 1970s.

Other long standing bands include Pantonic Steel Orchestra (founded 1988), Soca Saga Boys (founded in 1990), Beeraahar Sweet Combination (founded in 1993 by Christina Oree and David Grant) and Jamboulay Carnival Arts Promotion, that has been in existence since 1996.

Helen Levy, Pantonic Steel Orchestra, was a child when her father Ezekial Biggs Yearwood, the highly regarded maker and tuner of steel pans, founded Pantonic with his friend Raymond Joseph, who taught Steel Pan in schools.

The family’s heritage is from St. Vincent in the Caribbean and being part of the band became a family tradition. Her father taught her brother, Grafton, to make and tune pans for many other bands and her children, Lynette and Lucky along with nieces and nephews have also been part of Pantonic’s history.

The idea behind Pantonic was to bring young people into the group and develop their musical ability. This meant that the band grew and grew.

Eventually they secured their own Pan Yard that could be accessed twenty four hours a day with regular classes for people of all ages and building up to over 60 members.

The former Mayor of Hackney, Sam Springer, also managed Pantonic for several years taking them on tour and representing Hackney abroad. Biggs Yearwood died in 2007 and various family members have run the band ever since. Some of the original players continue to teach in schools.

Helen shared her earliest memory of Hackney Carnival:

It had a really good atmosphere. It was located in a smaller area and was very community oriented featuring only local bands. What has changed is that there are many different bands now including the Brazilian style carnival drumming bands. The very strong community spirit hasn’t changed. The carnival still brings out the best in people.

Soca Saga Boys was formed in 1990 by its founding member Saga Boy Tony Cumberbatch (RIP). Tony’s vision was not only to promote soca and calypso in the UK, but also to take it to new audiences around the country and, “letting the whole world experience the energy, vibe and passion that is Soca” said Rena Kydd Williams.

Soca Massive Sound System' debuted on the 'Carnival Road' in 1985 as DJs and took part in the Hackney Mare de Gras. They have been playing Mas since 2006 and as the Soca Massive Fancy Sailors UK since 2008.

Rubena Waldrop, from Jamboulay Carnival Arts Promotion said:

I think you have to remember that carnival activities were part of a much wider community arts movement that was very committed to popular creativity. I was first involved in carnival by Perpetual Beauty Carnival mas band, which was located on Leswin Road and I took part in a mini parade around Stoke-Newington High Street. Masquerade 2000 was born out of Perpetual Beauty and I often visited their mas-camp late in the evenings assisting with costume making for my daughter and making small pieces. I was eventually made their vice chair.

I remember Hackney Mare de Gras carnival was run for a few years by Emanuel Amevor from Centerprise Trust, a creative space and bookshop on Kingsland High Street. I also took part in the Hackney Peace Walk organised by a local councillor.

My brother was playing steel pan with Pantonic and I joined the Pantonic Supporters Club. My daughter joined the band and I wanted to make costumes for them. I had a small cupboard size space at their Pan Yard to make things and I was also a chaperone for the band.

I wanted to do a carnival project at a local youth cub in Hackney but it took several goes to convince the centre staff that it was a good idea. Eventually they let me in.

I involved the young people in carnival and started with a theme that became our name, Jamboulay, meaning merriment and togetherness. The word is close to the original Canboulay, the festival of the burning sugar canes from the time of the slaves in the Caribbean.

So we were based for quite some time in the community centre but we have moved around a bit and we are now based in the Old Fire Station, Leswin Road. I remember we took part in the Queen’s Golden Jubilee parade outside Buckingham Palace involving children with learning disabilities. We were meant to attend the garden party in the grounds but someone took our passes!

Award winning band, Tropical Isles, appeared at Hackney carnival for the first time in 2000 having learned much from other groups, especially Beerahaar, often referred to as the grandparents of Hackney Carnival. “They opened the door for many of the groups,” said Marva Antoine of Tropical Isles.

What has changed?

There have been several creative directors over the years including Keith Khan in 2012 and Shabaka Thompson in 2013. Pax Nindi, Global Carnivalz, has been Creative Director of Hackney Carnival from 2014 – 2024.

He was also involved in earlier strategies to support carnival artists in the borough through fundraising and sponsorship. Together with the lead cultural development officer for carnival, Lucy McMenemy, he has oversaw several changes over the years.

The Carnival has also become more culturally diverse. Hackney has a strong community with Caribbean heritage but there are now more groups representing the African, South American and east Asian communities. The emphasis on accessibility has also been strengthened by Paracarnival, Access All Areas and guest band UFO who encourage artists living with disabilities to take part.

Route and programming

The route of the carnival changed over the years to include Ridley Road, Queensbridge Road and Mare Street. Since 2019 the carnival route has been set around Hackney Central, which is more like a carnival village with designated spaces for programming.

There are specific areas around the carnival route including a spoken word stage, comedy acts, street performance, a music stage, children’s play, a wellbeing area and plenty of food stalls. Since 2014 sound systems have also provided an additional element providing a broad range of music for people to enjoy aside from the parade and creating an extended party atmosphere.

A dedicated judging point has been set up. Pax Nindi observes:

If Carnival doesn’t have a competition the quality doesn’t improve. Awards are important to people to boost their pride and sense of achievement.

After the main event in September, there is a ceremony to announce the winners to celebrate the achievements of local groups. Commissioning is also important with appearances on the parade from guest groups that provide more cultural diversity and examples of the high quality work that is also seen at Notting Hill.

In July 2018 Hackney Kid’s Carnival, supported by Arts Council England, featured over 160 children and took place in Dalston. Schools participated in carnival workshops where staff and children learned how to plan a dance routine, how to make headdresses, African folk songs and drumming.

Going green

In 2019, over 80,000 people attended the biggest and most eco-friendly Hackney Carnival to date. Environmentally responsible measures were taken as part of Hackney Council’s commitment to reduce the amount of single use plastic waste generated in the borough and to encourage people to think about their impact on the planet.

Visitors came from across London and international tourists saw more than 25 carnival and community groups who joined residents in a celebration of Hackney’s thriving cultures and outstanding creativity.