Our favourite weekend of the year is just around the corner, and of course that is Notting Hill Carnival. The annual Caribbean festival has taken place in London since 1966 on the streets of the Notting Hill area of Kensington, each August over two days.

The event is the largest street festival in Europe and one of the biggest in the world, pulling around 2 million people onto the streets of West London for a celebration of the Black diaspora in the UK.

Wray & Nephew, the leading Jamaican rum, has released new research surrounding just how important the celebration truly is. It has been discovered that half (50%) of young Londoners say Carnival is a true celebration of Black Britain, with 42% confirming that Europe’s biggest street festival is a potent symbol of how the Capital brings different nationalities and cultures together.
60% say it’s a time for self-expression and 84% agree that how they choose to present themselves is a really important part of their self-expression. 50% even went as far to say Carnival is one of the most important days of the year for ethnically diverse Londoners.

When asked about the lasting impact Carnival has on young Londoners, a quarter (25%) say it’s brought them closer to their community, over a third (34%) have made new friends from it, and 29% say it’s the greatest expression of self.

To further celebrate this, Wray & Nephew is welcoming festival-goers to its Trims ‘n’ Tings barbershop takeover next week, at the legendary Mo Better Cutz in Ladbroke Grove. Expect free trims, bold nail art and of course Wray & Nephew on tap. Get your pre-carni prep going and roll into the weekend with the best vibes. Opening on Wednesday 23rd August, Carnival-goers can head to Mo Better Cutz for a fun afternoon, with potential exciting performances from the legendary Saxon Sound System.

Mo Better Cutz owner, Rodney McGillivary tells us, “Wray & Nephew IS Carnival, so we can’t wait to bring the ultimate warm up to Mo Better Cutz. We’ve been working in the heart of Carnival territory for 27 years, and know how important this street festival is to the community. Helping our customers get ready for Carnival is one of the highlights of the year for us, so we hope old and new clients will come down to Trims ‘n’ Tings and join the celebration.”

Tickets will be available on a first-come first-served basis – customers can sign up for here.