Notting Hill Carnival: Where Is It, When Is It, How To Get There, How To Get Home - Everything You Need To Know
23 August 2019, 15:45 | Updated: 24 August 2019, 09:06
Your ultimate guide to Notting Hill Carnival, Europe's largest street festival - including, weather, travel, the parade route and more...
London's biggest celebration of Caribbean culture returns for its 53rd year...
When is it?
The carnival takes place over this August bank holiday weekend (25th and 26th August).
The Sunday is also known as 'Children's Day' and is recommended for families due to the smaller crowds and child-friendly floats.
The Grand Finale takes place on Monday as the festival comes to a close with dancing, street performances, steel drum music groups, and the iconic Notting Hill Grand Finale Parade.
The festival is open from 6:00am on Sunday and ends at 10:00pm on Monday.
Where is it?
Notting Hill, Ladbroke Grove, Westbourne Park, Westbourne Grove and Bayswater (pretty much all of the W10 and W11 postcode areas).
How do I get there?
The key travel information:
The Central Line will be open for the whole weekend for Queensway, Notting Hill Gate and Holland Park, and the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines will be serving Westbourne Park, Ladbroke Grove and Latimer Road.
The nearest stations that will be open are High Street Kensington, Queen’s Park and Shepherd's Bush. Bayswater and Paddington will also be open as usual.
But be aware that these stations (and neighbouring stations) may be closed at any time due to overcrowding.Also bear in mind when travelling home that some of the stations may be exit-only.
If you're coming by bus, be aware that roads around the carnival area will be pedestrianised, meaning that buses are rerouted and may terminate early. Extra buses will be operating on express routes 2X and 36X, running from the carnival site to south London. Do bear in mind that some bus routes will be diverted due to road closures.
Parade Route
Between 6 and 11 on Saturday, the UK's biggest steel band music competition, Panorama, takes place in Pleasance Park. This event requires tickets, and is £10 for adults.
Sunday begins bright and early at 6am, with the traditional Caribbean J'ouvert opening parade. Sunday's Children's Parade then takes place from 10:30am.
Monday sees the Grand Parade, which begins at midday.
Weather Forecast
The early weather forecasts for the weekend are excellent, with sun all weekend and highs of 30°C predicted on Monday.
Grenfell Tribute
There will be a 72-second silence at 3pm on both days in memory of the victims of Grenfell.
