About this Event
From 2006, Nostalgia Steelband has convened Carnival Arts Conferences (initially at the University of East London and later with partners including - the Tabernacle (Notting Hill), and universities in Oxford (2022), Ghana (2023) and Trinidad (2025), with the 12th being (2026) held at the University of West London -London College of Music, (Ealing Site - Weston Hall Lecture Theatre), St Mary's Road, London W5 5RF - creating a free space where artists, academics and producers share knowledge, build collaborations and develop new practice. In 2020 we extended that legacy through the biannual, peer‑reviewed International Journal of Carnival Arts [ISSN-2752-342X https://www.steelpanconference.com/], strengthening documentation, heritage and international links with universities and global centres for carnival arts.
The 2026 programme is shaped by collaborative work with University of West London-London College of Music, the UK Centre for Carnival Arts, Luton, Middlesex University and the Southbank Centre and follows up on a presentation at the 11th Steelpan/Carnival Conference in Trinidad, March 2025 and a paper in the International Journal of Carnival Arts. Vol. 11, pp 119 -139 titled ‘TASPO’s July 2026 Platinum Anniversary - the Momentum Builds up: 12th International Steelpan/Carnival Arts 22-24th July and Carnival Gala at the Southbank 25 - 26th July 2026’ and the resulting public TASPO exhibitions (‘The Rhythm of History: A TASPO Sharing Event’ at Royal Festival Hall, 3rd October 2025 and Carnival Village Trust, 2nd November 2025).
Overview of the Programme:
TASPO’s 75th anniversary is a landmark opportunity to connect scholarship with practice, support emerging practitioners and community participation, and strengthen collaboration among the global carnival diaspora.
The celebrations will begin in Trinidad on 6th July 2026 with a re-enactment of TASPO’s departure from the Port of Spain docks. A symbolic torch, shaped like an oversized Pan stick, will then be brought to London and presented to TASPO’s only living member, Sterling Betancourt, at The Tabernacle, 34–35 Powis Square, London W11 2AY, at 7pm on 21st July 2026. This opening ceremony will feature an evening of Pan and Calypso.
The conference will follow on 22nd–23rd July 2026 at 9am at the University of West London, with workshops on 24th July at the same venue.
The anniversary weekend will conclude on 25th –26th July 2026 at the Southbank, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX, designated ‘Steel Scenes’ will present a gala programme of concerts and steelbands from across the UK on the exact site where TASPO performed in July 1951.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
University of West London, Saint Mary's Road, London, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00
