1970s: Youth Protest Spurs a Community Carnival
By the 1970s, Butetown’s youth carried the carnival spirit forward by joining Cardiff’s annual Lord Mayor’s Parade with Caribbean-themed floats. During one parade in the mid-70s, onlookers subjected the Butetown Youth Club to racist jeers – an incident that led to an altercation. Instead of disciplining the harassers, officials banned the youth group from future parades. In response, Butetown’s young people and community elders decided to create
Their carnival. Recognising the cultural significance, the elders deliberately chose the carnival format to celebrate their heritage and resist racism. This was part of a broader wave in the UK then: Black British communities established vibrant carnivals (Notting Hill in London, St. Paul’s in Bristol, etc.) that gained momentum in the 1970s. In 1976, some Butetown residents travelled to Notting Hill Carnival (after rain cancelled local plans) and witnessed the unrest and “riots” there that year. This solidified the resolve of Butetown’s community – they realised they shouldn’t have to leave home to find their culture. Thus, by the late 1970s, plans were in motion for a permanent, homegrown carnival in Cardiff’s docklands. The exclusion from the Mayor’s Parade had ignited a new tradition: “Our response to being excluded… was to put on the most inclusive cultural event in Cardiff”, remembered Keith Murrell – a Carnival for Butetown, by Butetown.
Mid-1970s: Racism at the Lord Mayor’s Parade
In the mid-1970s, teenagers from Butetown regularly joined Cardiff’s annual Lord Mayor’s Parade with Caribbean-themed floats, keeping alive the carnival spirit despite the end of a short-lived 1960s “Mardi Gras” festival in the area. During one such parade in the mid-1970s, the Butetown Youth Club’s float became a target of racist abuse from some onlookers. Instead of punishing the harassers, city officials blamed the Butetown youths. The Youth Club was ultimately banned from participating in any future Lord Mayor’s Parades because they stood up to the abuse. This blatant injustice, effectively victimising the youths for responding to racism, caused outrage in the community. But instead of succumbing to this injustice,uth showed remarkable resilience and determination.
Local newspapers later recounted how this incident became the flashpoint for a new movement: “Butetown Carnival was born in the docklands after Butetown Youth Club were banned from participating in the Lord Mayor’s Parade in the 1970s”. The exclusion of Butetown’s young people from the city parade was a galvanising moment. It made it clear to Tiger Bay residents that they would create their own if they were not welcome in the city’s events.
“Our Own Carnival”: Butetown’s Youth and Elders Fight Back
In response, Butetown’s youth and community elders decided to hold their own event. Rather than staging a generic protest, they deliberately chose to make it a carnival, recognising the cultural power of carnival traditions to uplift and unite the community. Keith Murrell, a lifelong Butetown resident who was a child in the 1970s (and later a carnival organiser), recalls the sentiment of the time: “Our response to being excluded from the Lord Mayor’s Parade was to put on the most inclusive cultural event in Cardiff, possibly Wales.” The idea was simple but profound – if the establishment’s parade wouldn’t include Tiger Bay, Tiger Bay would create a carnival for itself and by itself.
Community elders who supported the youth understood the significance of the carnival. Carnival was not just a party but a statement of identity and resistance. In Butetown, elders like local teachers and community leaders were crucial in guiding the youth to channel their frustration into something positive. Their wisdom and guidance were instrumental in creating the Butetown Carnival.
“Hold our event.” That became the rallying cry. Plans took shape for a community-led carnival in Cardiff’s docklands. Organising meetings were held, costumes and floats prepared, and local musicians and dancers recruited. Crucially, Butetown’s youth club leaders and community groups formed the core of the organising committee. The very same youth who had been told they didn’t belong in the city parade now owned their carnival project. Longtime residents later noted that this grassroots approach laid a strong foundation: the Butetown Carnival would grow to be known as an event “organised by local youth leaders and community groups (often centred around the Butetown Youth Club and Community Centre)” – truly a product of the community itself.
Part of a Nationwide Black Carnival Movement
Butetown’s push for a carnival was part of a broader wave in 1970s Britain. Around the country, Black British communities established vibrant carnivals that celebrated multicultural heritage and resisted racism. Notting Hill Carnival in London and St. Paul’s Carnival in Bristol began in the 1960s, and by the 1970s, they were flourishing and impacting British culture.
The elders in Butetown were well aware of these developments. In fact, in 1976, before Butetown launched its carnival, a group of Tiger Bay residents travelled to London to attend Notting Hill Carnival. (Ironically, that year heavy rain had washed out plans for a small local event in Cardiff, prompting the group to see Notting Hill instead.) They arrived in London during the famous Notting Hill Carnival of 1976, which erupted in unrest after heavy-handed policing of Black attendees. The Butetown visitors witnessed that year’s so-called “Notting Hill riots” firsthand, where police actions led to clashes with the attendees. While they stayed safe, the experience left a deep impression. It underscored the potential of carnival as a massive expression of Black culture and the challenges such events faced from authorities.
When the group returned to Cardiff, the resolve of Butetown’s community was stronger than ever – they realised “we shouldn’t have to leave home to find our culture.” The decision was made that Butetown must have its permanent carnival in Tiger Bay. Organisers drew inspiration and lessons from Notting Hill and St. Paul’s. Like those carnivals, the Butetown Carnival would be rooted in principles of community empowerment, cultural pride, and resistance to racism. Indeed, as the years went on, Butetown Carnival’s success would rival the famous carnivals in Notting Hill and St. Paul’s in vibrancy and attendance. What started as a local response was in harmony with a nationwide movement of Black-led carnivals asserting their place in British society.
