Notting Hill Carnival began as a celebration of Caribbean community and culture during a time of racist violence and oppression in London in the 1960s. It is now a yearly event, the 60th in 2026, and now Europe's second largest street festival. Over the weekend I read some ironic anxieties about violence and mess of the carnival, however, what I experienced was a weekend full of joy, tradition, creativity, fun, subversive protest and celebration of it all.