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60 Years, Sunday Start
Notting Hill Carnival kicked off in London on Sunday as the event marked its 60th anniversary of Britain’s biggest celebration of Caribbean culture.
“kicked off Sunday in London, marking its 60th anniversary”
The London Evening Standard said the carnival would take place over the August bank holiday weekend between August 29-31, with Sunday dedicated to families and Monday dubbed ‘adults day’.
CNN said the carnival “kicked off Sunday in London, marking its 60th anniversary,” and described it as second only to Rio in size.
The BBC’s family-day coverage described J’ouvert as the traditional early-morning celebration that “kicks off Sunday’s festivities,” with music already pumping before the Sunday parade started.
The BBC also put the scale of the weekend in context, saying there would be around two million people visiting this part of west London for the carnival this weekend.
Routes, Sound Systems, Silence
The London Evening Standard said the parade would travel more than three miles from Westbourne Park station, down Westbourne Grove, and back up towards Ladbroke Grove, while warning that signal across the carnival is usually poor.
It also said sound systems and live stages would keep the party going from midday until 7pm on both days, and that at 3pm on both Sunday and Monday there would be a 72 second silence to remember the 72 lives lost in the Grenfell Tower fire.
The AOL.co.uk live coverage described how “Sounds of calypso, samba reggae and soca are expected through the day until 7pm,” and tied the weekend’s rhythm to the Children’s Day and Dutty Mas parade.
AOL.co.uk also reported that the 72-second silence at 3pm “didn’t quite go to plan this afternoon” when a float forgot to turn off its music as it passed the North Kensington Fire station at 3pm.
MyLondon said Sunday’s celebrations were more family-friendly, while tomorrow’s were more adult-focused, with sound systems playing from 12pm until 8pm.
Crowds, Security, Food
The News International said Notting Hill Carnival 2026 marked its 60th anniversary “amid massive crowds and enhanced security,” and described the weekend as drawing millions of revelers to West London.
“banning 300 people from attending and seizing a large amount of zombie knives”
It said over 30 to 40 legendary sound systems, including Channel One and Rampage, lined the residential side streets, while more than 250 to 300 street food stalls served traditional Caribbean cuisine.
The London Evening Standard said there were more than 300 stalls selling Caribbean fare, naming Jay Dees Catering for jerk chicken and salt fish and Curtis Caribbean for fried fish.
The BBC’s family-day reporting highlighted the food experience through doubles, with the BBC describing it as “a street food snack of flatbreads filled with curried chickpeas.”
MyLondon reported that police made preparations beforehand, including “banning 300 people from attending and seizing a large amount of zombie knives,” while also saying no major incidents had yet been reported.