Notting Hill Carnival 2018: Map, route, dates, line-up and parade details for London’s biggest street party this weekend
Summer is coming to an end, Londoners are desperately trying to clasp on to what little sunshine we have left and sales of glitter cosmetics have apparently shot up 321 per cent, which can only mean one thing – carnival season is here.
This year celebrates the 59th Notting Hill Carnival and will see the return of revellers dancing in the street to soca music and pavements lined with Caribbean-inspired food stalls.
The carnival is a hallmark of London culture and today is renowned as the largest street party in Europe, attracting two million visitors each year and hosting more than 70 masquerade floats. By the end of the weekend, London’s economy will be £93million better off, 15,000 costumes will have shimmied during the parade and a hangover-inducing 25,000 bottles of rum will have been polished off. It is a weekend of impressive numbers: only Rio is bigger.
Whether you're a seasoned carnival-goer or are out partying for the first time, here's everything you need to know about Notting Hill Carnival 2018.
In pictures: Notting Hill Carnival 2017
When is Carnival?
Notting Hill Carnival takes place over the August bank holiday weekend, on Sunday 26 and Monday August 27.
The all-important parade begins bright and early at 9.30am on both days.
Due to a strict noise curfew the sound systems will stop blasting at 7.30pm, but there are many after parties in the area keeping the party going. You can find a list of them here.
The floats, trucks and parade bands would have cleared the streets by 8.30pm.
What can I expect?
There's something for everyone.
Sunday is Family Day, which is a more relaxed day to prepare for the hard-core partying. Between 9am and 7pm, there's a parade for children and family-friendly sounds from the World Music stage at Powis Square.
Monday is when the real party begins, with more than 60 bands and 37 sound systems taking over the streets. On both Sunday and Monday there will be a 72 second silence held in tribute to the Grenfell victims.
The full details are below:
Saturday August 25
Though the main events run on Sunday 26 and Monday 27, things do begin a little earlier, on Saturday evening. Head down to Emslie Horniman Pleasance Park on Bosworth Road, where, from 6pm until 11pm, they’ll be hosting Panorama. It's family friendly, open-air evening and the UK's largest steelband competition. Tickets cost £5 and can be bought here.
Sunday August 26 (Family Day)
The next morning, the early risers of Notting Hill will lead Jouvert from 6am. It’s the first parade of the carnival, with steel bands, riddim bands and African drummers. It begins and ends at Canal way in Ladbroke Grove, coming to a halt around 9am. Sunday is known as the family day, and the highlight is the Children’s Parade, bright with costumes, as well as the Sound Systems and steel bands of its bigger sister on Monday. Things begin at 9am and run until around 8.30pm. Over in Powis Square, the World Music Stage boasts calypso and soca performances from the Association of British Calypsonians.
Monday August 27
For the main carnival experience, head over on Monday, which features the main parade and grand finale. Food stands will be sizzling, Sound Systems will be blaring, dancers will be dancing and their costumes will be dazzling. In total, there will be 60 bands strutting their stuff.
Where is Carnival?
Despite previous talks of the carnival moving to Hyde Park, Notting Hill Carnival will be returning to its prime location of W10, covering Notting Hill, Ladbroke Grove and Westbourne Park.
The parade, which is 3.5 miles long, will cover Westbourne Park, Ladbroke Grove and Notting Hill. The route map below has the details.
Food and drink
With more than 300 food stalls, you won’t go hungry. The perception of carnival food being all jerk chicken isn’t exactly true, but isn’t exactly untrue either: five tons of the stuff were shifted last year. Still, if you can, wander around – you’ll find curried goat, rice and peas, fried plantain, spicy Jamaican patties and Caribbean dumplings.
Drinks wise, Red Stripe is naturally the go-to and after that, rum. Guinness Punch is a must-try: despite the obvious Irish heritage, it’s stuff of carnival legend: Guiness packed full of spice, and sometimes milk, and sometimes rum. Coconut water is hard to beat for refreshment, and there’s a certain novelty to carrying around a coconut with a straw in it.
Notting Hill Carnival over the years - In pictures
What to bring
Remember, it's a carnival: come to have a good time and you most likely will. Still, it gets busy and sweaty, so being at least a little prepared helps.
- Take a bottle of water to stay hydrated: lots of shops shut-up, and those which don’t sell out.
- Pack napkins, hand sanitizer, or both: sticky hands makes for a sour afternoon.
- A jumper, or a hoody: once the sun is done, it can get icy. An alcohol jacket only goes so far.
Getting There
Roads
From around noon on Saturday 25 August:
- Kensal Road together with adjoining roads will be closed.
- Roads will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so on Saturday night.
From Saturday 25 August at 7am until Tuesday 28 August:
- Extensive road closures will extend north from Notting Hill Gate to Harrow Road, and from Latimer Road, St. Mark's Road and Clarendon Road in the east to Porchester Road, and Queensway in the west.
- Roads will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so early Tuesday morning.
Tube
Notting Hill, Ladbroke Grove and Westbourne Park tube stations will be extremely busy during carnival. Where possible, avoid peak times and use alternative stations.
Bus
Some bus routes running through West London will be disrupted, so make sure you check the TfL website before you travel.
For more information, visit nhcarnival.org