Feature
How the Manchester Caribbean Carnival was born from a small community in Moss Side
The carnival was built on a ‘longing for home’ by the Caribbean community in Moss Side
Today, the Manchester Caribbean Carnival will be making it’s long-awaited comeback after Covid-19 ground its plans to a halt last year.
It’s a truly momentous occasion and, ultimately, the perfect time to take a look back on its extensive history and to understand exactly why it’s become such a phenomenon in the city. So, let’s start with the obvious question – where and when did it all begin?
You will all be familiar with the globally renown Notting Hill Carnival, a celebration of culture and diversity that has been taking place in London’s Notting Hill every year since 1966. Well, in the mere years following the debut of this carnival, there was another one in the works a couple of miles up the road in Manchester’s infamous Moss Side.
Manchester Archives / Flickr
Moss Side has been welcoming immigrants since the 1800s, but the neighbourhood saw a particularly large influx of people from the British Empire shortly following the Second World War, ultimately bringing a new wave of immigrants to the area. The neighbourhood became a hub for African-Caribbean arrivals, who would go on to be known as the Windrush generation.
Dr Charlotte Wildman, a lecturer in modern British history at the University of Manchester, told BBC Newsbeat that throughout the 1950s and 60s, Moss Side was ‘a flourishing suburb where diversity is celebrated’, noting: “You don’t see the racial tensions in Manchester that you see elsewhere… It’s a city that is built on migration.”
And what better way to prove the neighbourhoods community spirit than a massive annual celebration in the form of a carnival?
Manchester Caribbean Carnival
According to the University of Manchester’s Manchester History files, the Manchester Caribbean Carnival was actually started by one woman – the founding member and the chairperson of Manchester’s carnival committee, Ms. Locita Brandy. Locita had moved to Moss Side with her family in 1959, who are believed to have been the first black family on the whole street.
Inspired by ‘a longing for home’ and memories of the colourful St Kitts and Nevis carnival of her home, Locita worked with other members of the Leeward Island People Association (LIPA) to get the wheels in motion for Manchester’s first ever Caribbean carnival.
The exact date of the first official Manchester Caribbean Carnival is a little unclear, with some believing it was in 1971 and others in 1972. Some media sources even cite the starting year of the carnival as 1973 and describe it as an ‘impromptu affair.’ But Locita herself references the carnival’s start date as May Bank Holiday weekend 1972, with the description of carnival as ‘impromptu’ believed to be the press’ attempt to ignore the efforts of Moss Side’s West Indian community in the organisation of the carnival.
Manchester Caribbean Carnival
Locita’s records present overwhelming evidence of the hard work and dedication put into the establishment and growth of the Manchester Caribbean carnival – and the rest in history. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Locita’s carnival would happen every year, and records show her efforts to include other ethnic communities from the area in the celebrations.
The organisers of the carnival had always envisioned the event to familiarise white and black people, generate happiness and create solidarity within the community – and over the next few decades, it did just that. Every year, the carnival takes over Alexandra Park and brings a whole weekend of dancing, drinking, eating and celebration for the people of Manchester, regardless of their background or their race.
The carnival didn’t even allow Covid-19 to dampen the festivities – last year, for the first time in it’s forty-nine year history, the Manchester Caribbean Carnival went virtual. Carnival organisers honoured the legacy of carnival with a feast of entertainment including live performances, vibrant dance and steel bands displays – and today, they’re back in the flesh with a scaled down event boasting two stages, a funfair and a variety of food, drink and music stalls.
Manchester Caribbean Carnival is taking place today at Alexandra Park from 1pm – 7pm.