Notting Hill Carnival 2025 brings bursts of colour to west London

The streets of west London have been filled with colour and sound for the first day of the annual Notting Hill Carnival.

Musicians and dancers in bright costumes took to the tarmac for the children’s parade, as the largest street party in Europe got under way.

The day began with an explosion of colour as revellers met for J’ouvert at 06:00 BST ahead of the children’s parade, with the streets awash with bright paint and powder.

J’ouvert, which means “daybreak” or “opening of the day” in French Creole, marks the start of the Carnival celebrations across the Bank Holiday weekend.

Fast-paced drumming could be heard and felt before the first parade arrived, decorating the street with flutes, brass instruments, steel drums, dancers and costumes including giant colourful wings.

A mixture of adults and children adorned in jewels, glittery wings, belts and headdress danced and leapt down the street followed by floats pumping out bass and music.

Along the side streets were rows of food and drink stalls serving fragrant jerk chicken, curry goat, Jamaican beer and rum punch cocktails.

On other roads, towering sound systems and stages, including one for BBC Radio 1 Xtra, were playing reggae, dub, and drum and bass, with groups of friends, some in costume and others wearing their country’s flag, dancing around them.

More than a million people are expected to attend Carnival over the weekend.

Among those enjoying the festivities was EastEnders star Rudolph Walker who told BBC London it was “great to see the youngsters enjoying themselves – they are all fantastic”.

Walker, who plays Patrick Trueman in the BBC soap, said coming to Carnival made him want to live for each future event.

“I come every year, it’s my tradition, I grew up in Trinidad with carnival and I know what it does for my soul, my body, my peace of mind,” he said.

“The most important thing is to see people together, young and old, having fun.”

TV chef and personality Big Zuu, who was partying with his friends, said he had been coming to Carnival since he was one, and had previously taken part in the floats.

When asked what he liked about Carnival, he said: “This is the best celebration of multiculturalism in the country.”

Claudette Sparen, 61, said she had attended Notting Hill Carnival over the last 25 years and that this year was her eighth.

Originally from Curacao but now living in Holland, the medical worker said she loved everything about the festivities.

“The people are so nice, so polite, so happy – they are the best people I have ever met,” she said. “We love to be here.”

As Carnival began on Sunday morning, the event’s chairman Ian Comfort told the crowd he was pleased it was happening after its future was put in jeopardy because of funding challenges earlier this year.

He welcomed the representatives from other world carnivals including Berlin, Miami and Tenerife who were in attendance.

The mayor of Kensington and Chelsea, Tom Bennett, also welcomed “friends” from across the Caribbean.

“It’s one of the greatest street parties in the world… celebrating today Caribbean culture – from dancing, music, costumes but also everything the Caribbean community has done in this borough and country,” he said.

Following the parade, Sunday’s festivities continued with sound systems and live stages of music in Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance Park and Powis Square.

All major music and sound systems were then switched off at 15:00 for a 72-second silence to commemorate the 72 lives lost in the Grenfell Tower fire, as well as those who have died at Carnival in recent years and Kelso Cochrane whose murder in 1959 became one of the catalysts for the event.

On Saturday evening the Met Police said it had made 140 arrests in total during the day, including 52 for drug-related offences, 15 for assaulting an officer and 21 for suspected possession of an offensive weapon.

Carnival continues on Monday with the adults parade, more live stages and sound systems.

The annual celebration has been running for more than 50 years.