Everything you need to know about Notting Hill Carnival 2024

The legendary Notting Hill Carnival has returned to the streets of London this August Bank Holiday weekend.

Millions of people, including thousands of tourists, are expected to attend the 56th edition of the event.

The Carnival takes place in west London, in the neighbourhoods of Notting Hill, Ladbroke Grove, and Westbourne Park.

The three-mile parade showcases fantastic masquerade dancing, soca, calypso, steel bands and sound systems as people in stunning and elaborate costumes dance their way through London.

When is Notting Hill Carnival 2024?

This year’s carnival kicked off yesterday and runs until tomorrow, Bank Holiday Monday.

Is it free?

Notting Hill Carnival is unticketed and is completely free.

What day is family day?

Notting Hill Carnival family is today, Sunday, August 25.

Family Day is quieter than Monday and more family-friendly.

But this doesn’t mean you’ll be missing out on anything. There’s still a parade and all the energy you’d expect and hope for.

It’s a good idea to bring earplugs for young children – you never know when a painfully-loud sound system rigged up to a truck might rumble past.

A strict noise curfew is in place, so the party will finish up at 7pm.

What happens during Carnival?

As well as the parade through the city on Sunday, there will be several live music performances held across the weekend.

This interactive map shows you the route that the carnival will follow and all the main events.

Sunday and Monday highlights include:

Sunday (Families’ and Children’s Day, the family-friendly part of the carnival):

• J’Ouvert, the paint party which kicks off just before sunrise, is not happening this year, reportedly because a lack of bands, but the J’Ouvert bands will play later in the day with paint in the main parade later in the day
• Official opening ceremony: Mas (masquerade) Judging Point, Great Western Road. Traditionally Carnival is opened by local residents and participants, accompanied by the organisers and friends at 10am
• Children’s day parade: Expect family-friendly activities and events, with the main event being children’s mas
• ‘Dutty’ fun mas parade: Get down and ‘dutty’. Just like J’Ouvert, this mas is for those who enjoy the mayhem. As a spectator, you can expect to be splashed with brightly coloured paints, powder or even melted chocolate
• Sound systems: If you love street dancing but don’t want to be ‘on di road’ then the sound systems are where it’s at. At today’s Carnival, you can hear everything from rare groove to house to samba. From 12-7pm
• Red Bull Selector: 12-7pm, Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance Park
• Powis Square Stage: 12-7pm, Powis Square

Monday (the best day for adults to party):

• Adult’s Parade: This is the carnival climax. It’s the last lap for another year and your best chance to see the brightly-hued costumes and eclectic dances and songs
• Sound systems as Saturday, 12-7pm
• Strawberries & Creem Stage: 12-7pm at Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance
• Powis Square Stage: 12-7pm, Powis Square

What time do the parades start?

Both the Family Day parade on Sunday and the more adult friendly Monday parade start at 10.30am.

How many people attend?

Every year more than a million people attend Notting Hill Carnival, a mix of locals and tourists, with attendance of up to two million recorded in previous years.

Is it safe?

The Metropolitan Police use a lot of crowd control techniques which manage how many people enter or leave an area, to try and prevent overcrowding and crushes.

This year the Met is working with charity Safer Spaces to create a safe area specifically for women and girls.

Police advice for the event includes:

• Go with the flow of the crowd and don’t try to walk against it
• Set a meeting place with family and friends in case you get separated
• Keep your belongings with you at all times
• Plan your journey in advance – don’t drive to Notting Hill and know your best routes on public transport
• Make those travel plans before you leave

For families, in previous years parents have been spotted employing the great idea of writing their mobile number on the arm of their children, so people know who to call should they get lost.

Best way to get to Notting Hill Carnival

You can easily reach the Carnival area by taking the Tube, although some stations will open and close at different times in order to deal with the increased traffic. The affected stations are as follows:

• Ladbroke Grove – Closed
• Latimer Road – Closes at 11.30pm, and may close for short periods when busy
• Notting Hill Gate – Exit only between 11am and 6pm. District/Circle lines will not stop. No interchange between Central line and District and Circle
• Westbourne Park – Exit only from 11am. Closes at 11.30pm. It’s advised you use other stations where possible as it will be extremely busy
• Holland Park – Exit only between 11am and 3pm, when it closes
• Royal Oak – Exit only between 11am and 6pm, when it closes

For the least-crowded journey, Transport for London recommends getting off at Paddington station, which is bigger than Notting Hill Gate or Westbourne Park and is only a 20-minute walk away from the Carnival.

Buses will operate extra services during the festivities, although a number of routes will face diversions throughout the weekend.

The following routes will be affected by diversions: 7 & N7, 18, 23, 27 & N27, 28, 31, 36, 52, 70, 148, 228, 295, 316, 328, 452.

Who founded Notting Hill Carnival?

The first-ever Notting Hill Carnival was held in 1966 and is a stunning spectacle and celebration of British Caribbean culture.

But the first carnival was not just put on to celebrate – it was in response to race riots and the murder of Antiguan-born Kelso Cochrane, who was killed aged 32 in 1959.

His death was the result of a racially-motivated attack, and it’s thought there were more than 1,200 people at his funeral.

Protests and activism stepped up amid fears that the murder investigation had stalled, with allegations of a cover-up circulating. To this day, Kelso’s murder remains unsolved.

A children’s street fayre held in the mid-60s, aimed at bringing together people of all races in the Notting Hill locality, would eventually morph into what we know as the carnival today.

This was organised by resident and activist Rhaune Laslett.

A version of this article was originally published on August 21, 2024.

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