Notting Hill Carnival
Country: England
When: 27th-28th August 2016
26th-27th August 2017
25th – 26th August 2018
The Notting Hill Carnival is one of London’s premier cultural festivals. It is a celebration of African and Caribbean culture in the UK and is considered Europe’s largest street festival. It was established in 1964, now attracts well over 1 million people and is held every August on the UK’s Bank (public) holiday.
The carnival operates across two days and has a lively and entertaining atmosphere. There are plenty of sights and sounds including costumes, music and a main parade with colourful floats, dancers and musicians all partying and celebrating. The Sunday of the festival is known as Children’s day and Monday is Adult’s day. Adult’s day is a little more racy in terms of costumes and themes.
Notting Hill has many pubs and eateries so you will not be short of opportunities to quench your thirst or grab some food. In addition, there are many food stalls along the parade path serving up local community dishes such as Jerk Chicken, Rice and Peas and Curried Goat.
The music is distinctly Caribbean and African flavored with Calypso, Soca, Steel Pan (pan drumming), Jazz Latin, Reggae, Hip Hop, Drum n Bass and Samba all featuring heavily throughout the festival.
Festival Videos
Key Highlights
- The festival’s 3-mile parade route is adorned with costume and music for Monday’s main parade.
- The streets are pumped full of music. There are 40 static sound systems in place all over Notting Hill!
- The famous Portobello Road exceeds itself during the festival with many stalls and small shops offering clothing, arts and crafts, antiques, memorabilia, and much more.
- Getting into a House Party is great fun if you can get an invite. Although the carnival ends at 7pm each day, the excitement does not stop then. In addition to the house parties, local bars and clubs are open long into the night.
Where is it
Notting Hill is located in the northwest of London.
How to Get There
Notting Hill is an inner suburb in the northwest of London and is serviced by the Circle and District Lines and the Central Line of the Underground. Notting Hill is also within easy walking distance from Bayswater, Kensington, Holland Park, Ladbroke Grove and Shepherd’s Bush stations. As an alternative, there are many bus routes that stop in, or close to, Notting Hill.
Where to stay
As Notting Hill is easily accessible from across London and beyond, you can stay anywhere you like. Many local residents do actually leave Notting Hill during the festival so you can rent a room or house if you like. Given the ease of transport and the general noise and energy of the festival, this is not an advisable option unless you really want to be in the thick of the action.
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Try attending the event later in the afternoon. The festivities will be in full swing and the parades are much more energetic. After enjoying the afternoon, you will be primed to embrace the nightlife by attending one of the many ‘after show’ events.