# Carnival Sounds

Experience Notting Hill Carnival from the comfort of your own home.

- Launched: 2020/08/24
- Client: [Spotify](https://spotify.com/)
- Studio: [Stink Studios](https://www.stinkstudios.com/)
- Live: https://web.archive.org/web/20201113072555if_/https://carnival.withspotify.com/
- Stack: React, Gatsby
- Page: https://pim.dev/work/carnival-sounds

## About the project

Carnival Sounds is an immersive digital experience created for Spotify when the iconic Notting Hill Carnival was cancelled for the first time in its 54-year history due to COVID-19. Notting Hill Carnival is the UK's most important event for Black music and Caribbean culture, drawing around two million people to West London every August for celebrations, costumes, food, steel pans, and music from 38+ official sound systems. When the project kicked off in late 2019, the team assumed the partnership would involve a live event — but as the pandemic spread, it became clear that Carnival would go digital. Spotify was named the official 2020 partner, and the dedicated microsite was live from August 24 to September 12, 2020.

The creative vision centered on the sound systems — the only carnival in the world to feature multiple static systems — as the conceptual foundation for the entire experience. Speakers were rendered as pulsating, spherical forms representing the life of the party, with typography inspired by vintage Caribbean event posters that appears to vibrate to the sounds. Playlists from all 42 sound systems and DJ legends are stacked on the page like speakers themselves, with artwork that pulses when bass is turned up. The team created 50 unique artworks, each personalizing individual sound systems while maintaining a cohesive identity. Spotify deliberately assembled an all-Black creative team, working with paq works — a Black-owned, London-based creative agency founded by Chiamaka Ojechi, Joshua Allen, and Ebele Davis. British-Jamaican photographer Ekua King was commissioned to create exclusive portraits on film and VHS footage for each sound system.

The site was built with React and Gatsby, with GraphQL for data management, delivered in a 3-week development sprint at Stink Studios. The experience featured an interactive exploration of over 40 official sound systems — including King Tubby's (Carnival's oldest sound), Rampage Sound, Martin Jay (the prince of UK soca), and Seduction City Sound (Carnival's only all-female sound system) — with animated artwork, dynamic sonic design, and deep integration with Spotify's playlist infrastructure.

The inaugural 2020 edition was so successful that it evolved into a multi-year global campaign running from 2020 to 2023, spanning microsite, out-of-home advertising, and in-real-life initiatives. By 2024, Spotify was celebrating its sixth consecutive year of collaboration with Notting Hill Carnival.

## Results

The project won Awwwards Site of the Day and Developer Award, received a D&AD Shortlist in the Service Digitisation category, CSS Winner Site of the Day with a 7.9/10 score, and an FWA feature. It was also nominated for a Music Week Award in the Music Consumer Innovation category. Press coverage included features in Variety, Hypebeast, Music Week, Event Industry News, Voice Online, and the Spotify Newsroom. The project became a template for how cultural events could translate to digital experiences, and was one of the first times sound systems had been highlighted in such a comprehensive digital way.

## Awards

- [Awwwards](https://www.awwwards.com/sites/carnival-with-spotify): Developer (2020)
- [Awwwards](https://www.awwwards.com/sites/carnival-with-spotify): Site of the Day (2020)
- [D&AD](https://www.dandad.org/awards/professional/2021/234413/spotify-x-notting-hill-carnival-carnival-sounds/): Shortlist (2021)
- [CSSWinner](https://www.csswinner.com/details/carnival-with-spotify/14955): Site of the Day (2020)

## Credits

- [David Fiz Querol](https://davidfiz.com/) (Designer)
- [Andrew Sellers](https://andrewsellers.co.uk/) (Front End Developer, Technical Lead)
- Vladimir Exil (Front End Developer)
- Natalie Goburdhun (Producer)
- Sam Steele (User Experience)
- [Zoonou](https://zoonou.com/) (Quality Assurance)
- [Anton Martinez](https://antonmartinez.com/) (Designer, Art Director)

## Said about the project

> Notting Hill Carnival is such an important celebration of Caribbean heritage for communities in London and beyond - enriched in tradition and activism and lived through music and dance. While it can't take place in its usual way, it's key that the celebration continues – in homes, living rooms and gardens – especially given the current climate.
>
> — Sulinna Ong, Head of Music, Spotify UK and Ireland ([source](https://newsroom.spotify.com/2020-08-19/spotifys-virtual-notting-hill-carnival-microsite-amplifies-black-creators-like-never-before/))

> This year we faced the ultimate challenge of being unable to gather on the streets to celebrate our Carnival. But, now, more than ever, it's important to keep the spirit of Notting Hill Carnival alive, giving an outlet to the thousands of people that spend all year creating incredible costumes and music for Europe's largest event.
>
> — Matthew Phillip, Executive Director, Notting Hill Carnival ([source](https://www.musicweek.com/live/read/spotify-partners-with-notting-hill-carnival-for-its-first-digital-event/080445))

> The aim going into this project was to highlight and gather key elements of Notting Hill Carnival with artists, sound systems, podcasts, events and playlists in one hub through the Carnival Sounds Spotify microsite.
>
> — Portia Clarke, Music Marketing Consultant & Co-curator, Spotify UK ([source](https://www.musicweek.com/digital/read/inside-spotify-s-notting-hill-carnival-extravaganza-with-portia-clarke/080932))

> If you want to know what music or artist is really hot and relevant, Carnival is the place! Real, authentic reactions to music are priceless and something no marketing campaign can stage.
>
> — Portia Clarke, Culture Consultant, Spotify UK ([source](https://www.musicweek.com/digital/read/inside-spotify-s-notting-hill-carnival-extravaganza-with-portia-clarke/080932))

## Press

- Variety: [U.K.'s Iconic Notting Hill Carnival Goes Digital With Spotify, Samsung](https://variety.com/2020/music/global/notting-hill-carnival-goes-digital-1234739787/) — Coverage of the first-ever digital Notting Hill Carnival, detailing the Spotify partnership and the virtual experience replacing the cancelled street festival.
- Hypebeast: [Notting Hill Carnival 2020 Lineup, DJs, Sound Systems](https://hypebeast.com/2020/8/notting-hill-carnival-2020-spotify-lineup) — Full lineup and sound system coverage for the digital Carnival experience, including featured DJs and artists.
- Music Week: [Spotify partners with Notting Hill Carnival for its first digital event](https://www.musicweek.com/live/read/spotify-partners-with-notting-hill-carnival-for-its-first-digital-event/080445) — Partnership announcement featuring quotes from Spotify and Notting Hill Carnival leadership on the significance of keeping the celebration alive digitally.
- Music Week: [Inside Spotify's Notting Hill Carnival extravaganza with Portia Clarke](https://www.musicweek.com/digital/read/inside-spotify-s-notting-hill-carnival-extravaganza-with-portia-clarke/080932) — Behind-the-scenes feature with co-curator Portia Clarke on assembling the sound systems, playlists, and cultural programming for the microsite.
- Event Industry News: [Spotify teams up with artists to bring Notting Hill Carnival to life](https://www.eventindustrynews.com/news/spotify-teams-up-with-artists-to-bring-notting-hill-carnival-to-life-for-fans-as-it-goes-virtual-for-the-first-time-in-history) — Event industry perspective on translating one of the world's largest street festivals into a virtual experience for the first time.
- Voice Online: [Spotify teams up with Koffee, The Marleys and more](https://www.voice-online.co.uk/entertainment/2020/08/20/spotify-teams-up-with-koffee-the-marleys-and-more-to-bring-notting-hill-carnival-to-life/) — Coverage focused on the artist partnerships and Black British creators featured in the Carnival Sounds experience.
- Spotify Newsroom: [Spotify's virtual Notting Hill Carnival microsite amplifies Black creators like never before](https://newsroom.spotify.com/2020-08-19/spotifys-virtual-notting-hill-carnival-microsite-amplifies-black-creators-like-never-before/) — Official launch announcement detailing the microsite's features, sound system lineup, and commitment to amplifying Black creators and Caribbean culture.
- Spotify Design: [Making the Brand: Carnival Sounds](https://spotify.design/article/making-the-brand-carnival-sounds) — Design team perspective on the visual identity, including the sound system speaker metaphor, vibrating typography, and 50 unique artworks.

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