The sound of steel drums is ringing through west London this morning as Notting Hill Carnival bursts into life, with revellers splashing one another in neon paint during the opening street celebrations of the two-day festival.
Thousands of people are making their way into the streets of Notting Hill, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, for the historic Caribbean celebration staged every year over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Photographs from the area show dancers in shimmering costumes and musicians playing steel pans as the Families and Children’s Day parade gets under way.
The earliest arrivals reached the street party at around 6am, hurling body paint, dancing in the streets and letting off bright smoke flares as part of J’Ouvert, the carnival’s lively pre-dawn tradition.
Some participants were seen covered head to toe in black paint and wearing horns in a nod to Jab Jab, a figure whose name comes from the French word “diable”, meaning devil.
The striking costume tradition is rooted in the 1838 abolition of slavery across the Caribbean, when people took to the streets dressed in black to mark their freedom from those they viewed as devilish oppressors.
One image from the carnival this morning appears to show Metropolitan Police officers detaining a man.
St John Ambulance Community Support Vehicles have also been seen positioned around the area, surrounded by carnival-goers, food stalls and street food vans.
Attendees will see a mixture of sunshine and showers today, with conditions turning wetter into the evening. Monday will be drier and brighter, but still with some showers.
This year marks 60 years since Notting Hill Carnival began in 1966 and, while Saturday saw a quieter start with young performers taking to the stage at the traditional Panorama ticketed steelband competition, Sunday is expected to draw far bigger crowds as the carnival takes to the streets.
Thousands have already arrived with an estimated two million revellers set to attend the event
Images show people dancing in glittering outfits and playing steel drums to kick off the Families and Children’s Day parade
Meanwhile, early birds arrived at the street party at 6am and began throwing body paint at each other and setting off colourful smoke flares as part of J’Ouvert, a vibrant pre-dawn ritual
A picture appears to show Met Police officers detaining a man at the carnival this morning
Some are fully covered in black paint and wearing horns to represent Jab Jab – from the French word diable, meaning devil
Revellers take part in the ‘J’Ouvert’ celebrations at the Notting Hill Carnival on Sunday morning
A young girl pictured wearing a fabulous purple outfit at Notting Hill Carnival’s Family Day on Sunday
Festivalgoers dance on the streets of Notting Hill on Sunday afternoon donning colourful outfits
It is estimated that around two million revellers will attend the event
Met Police officers are seen patrolling the streets of west London. Around 7,000 are understood to be manning the area today
A Metropolitan Police facial recognition van installed for the Notting Hill carnival
It is estimated that around two million revellers will attend the event with 7,000 Metropolitan Police officers and staff on duty.
More than 3,000 stewards – double the usual number – have also been deployed after crowd control responsibilities were transferred from Scotland Yard to the event organisers following an extra £4.66million grant announced by Sir Sadiq Khan in March.
But Susan Hall, leader of the Conservative group at the London Assembly, said she remained concerned about the security risks and called on the Mayor to ‘get a grip on this once and for all before more people are injured or die needlessly’.
The mammoth police and security operation is in place to maintain law and order after crime has continued to rise year-on-year and last year’s record-breaking number of arrests.
Last year, 528 people were arrested, 4 people were stabbed, 18 people were arrested for sexual assaults and 55 officers were assaulted. In 2024, two people were murdered and eight were stabbed.
Homeowners and businesses began boarding up their properties earlier this week in preparation for the carnival which often results in damage done to buildings.
A Tesco Express on Ladbroke Road was covered up with temporary boards on Wednesday, while its cashpoint was cordoned off with tape.
In recent years, Notting Hill residents have complained about attendees urinating and defecating in their front gardens. Some even posted videos catching people in the act which then went viral online and received a lot of backlash.
Metropolitan Police Federation chair Paula Dodds warned officers were ‘already stretched beyond belief’, adding that their ‘welfare must remain a top priority’.
The Met said last year’s policing operation cost about £15million – and while the force hopes this year’s total cost will be lower, this ‘still represents a very significant financial outgoing in the context of unprecedented budget challenges for policing’.
A stunning home in Notting Hill was boarded up today ahead of Notting Hill Carnival this weekend
A business is pictured being boarded up in Notting Hill ahead of the carnival
The Tesco Express on Ladbroke Grove is boarded up with temporary hoardings yesterday
People take part in the ‘J’Ouvert’ dawn ritual at the Notting Hill Carnival on Sunday
A woman wears fur boots covered in paint on the streets of west London as the carnival gets off to a colourful start
Attendees pictures on ‘Jamaican Jerk Corner’ gathered at the front of someone’s property and sat on the side of the pavement
A man and a woman share a loving embrace during Sunday’s early dawn ritual at the event
The black body paint and colourful flicks of neon paint are part of a traditional start to the carnival
A woman wearing a mask and a flag around her shoulders during the paint throwing ritual
People in ponchos, masks and goggles fling pigment powder at each other as the street party begins
The force said operations involving live facial recognition and number plate checks were being carried out to locate wanted offenders before and during the carnival.
Last year, the use of live facial recognition resulted in 61 arrests and 30 Registered Sex Offenders being identified and spoken to.
The Met Police said: ‘We’re keeping the majority safe, by targeting the minority who come to do harm.’
Police are also making arrests of gang members and Violence Against Women and Girls (Vawg) suspects. There is also a ban in bail conditions and prevention orders for high-risk people attending the event, especially domestic abusers and sex offenders.
Weapon sweeps of known gang areas are being made, walkthrough metal detectors known as knife arches will be in use and there will be increased uniformed police patrols in parks and open spaces.
Detectives will carry out targeted checks on hotels and short-stay accommodation to catch people involved in child exploitation and county lines.
Organisers said there will be increased safety and crowd control measures for the carnival, which is marking its 60th anniversary – including a bigger control room, more CCTV cameras to monitor revellers and signs to alert them to possible hold-ups.
But Ms Hall said: ‘I must confess I am concerned about the security risks at the Notting Hill Carnival, which my report last summer examined.
‘The Mayor has given a lot of taxpayer money to fund this event, leaving taxpayers on the hook for safety measures, without providing any targets for security.
‘People should be safe when attending events like Carnival, and I worry that they simply are not – least of all as police resources are being cut at the same time.
‘The Mayor needs to get a grip on this once and for all before more people are injured or die needlessly.’
Ms Dodds said the federation, which represents 30,000 officers across London, will be closely monitoring the welfare and wellbeing of police at the carnival as well as any incidents of them coming under attack.
The organisation will be carrying out a live survey to ask officers if the force has granted them sufficient rest between their shifts and if they have had access to food and water.
