London’s bank holiday summer street party The Notting Hill Carnival will be going ahead as planned this year on August 27-28.
The two-day party has been held every year since 1966 and taking over the areas of Notting Hill, Ladbroke Grove and Westbourne Park, is the largest festival of its kind in Europe.
The parade begins at 9.30am on Sunday and finishes around 6.30pm on Monday. Noise curfews are in place after 7pm and floats, trucks and bands will have cleared the streets by 8.30pm.
Here are the sites to check before you go, giving you the most up-to-date information on travel options, live music, parties and food.
- The Notting Hill Carnival official site should be your first port of call for information on what, when and where.
- More than a million people are expected to visit the carnival over the weekend. There will be extensive road closures and bus diversions in place. Some cycle docking stations will also be out of use during the party. Your best bet is to check the official website’s comprehensive “getting here” section.
- Transport for London provides information about station closures and the best way to travel around London during the festival. Some stations in west London will be busier than usual, some will be exit only or closed and Night Tube services don’t run on Sunday and Monday nights. The nearest London Overground stations are Willesden Junction, Kensal Rise, Queen’s Park and Shepherd’s Bush.
TimeOut has rounded up a decent selection of useful tips on how to manage the crowds and have a successful family-friendly day out.
This year, a minute’s silence will be held to honour the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire at 3pm on 28 August. Carnival Chairman Pepe Francis said earlier this month: “We don’t pretend we can give solace. But we can, and will, offer respect and solidarity.”
There had been calls to change the route of the carnival, with some asking whether it was appropriate for revellers to celebrate so close to the gutted high-rise building, but these were rejected by London mayor Sadiq Khan.
At the roots of the festivities are the Caribbean carnivals of the early 19 century, which were held to celebrate the abolition of slavery and the slave trade.