Notting Hill Carnival, Europe's biggest street festival

Notting Hill Carnival

Europe's biggest street festival

Traditional Caribbean aromas, colourful costumes, huge sound systems and entertaining shows, that's the Notting Hill Carnival.

Set up by the Caribbean community of Notting Hill more than 40 years ago, the annual celebration attracts thousands of visitors from all around the world. Among the main attractions are the food stalls, rich in traditional Caribbean dishes such as jerk chicken, fried plantain, curried goat, rice and peas and rum punch drinks.

The celebration gets under way on Sunday morning which is considered Children’s Day as most events are specially designed for children and families. Local children are involved in the design of costumes, playing music, and dancing in the streets.

The celebration continues on Bank Holiday Monday when the main parade takes place. On this day, visitors experience over 40 static sound systems, hundreds of Caribbean food stalls and twenty miles of colourful costumes.

For more information about the carnival visit http://www.thenottinghillcarnival.com/

During the event, the bus routes suffer changes and the best way to stay informed is by checking information provided at the underground stations. It is recommended to use Paddington, High Street Kensington or Bayswater tube stations as the closer ones to the carnival’s location will be extremely crowded and often temporarily closed.

For the latest travel information visit http://www.tfl.gov.uk/