Sunday celebrations at Notting Hill Carnival wound down to a close as Europe’s biggest street party celebrated its 60th anniversary. Despite 169 arrests reported by the Met Police as of 7.45pm, the event was praised as 'overwhelmingly positive and celebratory' for most revellers.
Celebrations and Family Parade
The annual celebration of Caribbean culture saw an array of mas bands, steel pan bands, dancers, and sound systems light up the west London district in colour, glitter, and feathers. Thousands of children took part in the family parade, wearing carnival regalia with all the feathered plumes and towering headdresses expected on the day.
Elsewhere, dancers wore glittering costumes in all the colours of the rainbow as sound systems played every kind of music from samba to house and reggae. As ever, Soca music was the most popular at Notting Hill Carnival, blending American soul with Caribbean rhythms.
Arrests and Policing
Despite the upbeat party atmosphere, the Met Police reported 169 arrests as of 7.45pm. Offences included possession of drugs, possession of weapons, assaults (including assaults on emergency workers) and sexual offences.
Of the total arrests, most took place inside the event with 27 on the approaches outside. Some 29 arrests were as a result of live facial recognition (LFR), including three sex offenders arrested for breaching conditions while 26 other registered sex offenders were spoken to.
Officers responded to two knife assaults – a slashing to the leg and a slashing to the hand – neither of which resulted in life changing or life threatening injuries.
Organisers and Safety
Commander Claire Smart, who is in charge of the policing operation, said: “We have been working closely with Notting Hill Carnival Ltd and other partners for many months ahead of this weekend’s event.
“The organisers have stepped forward significantly across the event, including crowd management, and we have seen the positive progress today. While we have seen a significant number of arrests and interventions by officers, the result of that proactive approach is a welcome reduction in the levels of serious violence seen at the event in previous years.
Incidents and Remembrance
Elsewhere, a van caught alight at Pembridge Villas opposite the festivities and saw London Fire Brigade dispatched four fire engines and around 25 firefighters to the scene.
A planned 72-second silence in memory of the victims of Grenfell didn’t quite go to plan this afternoon, as one float accidentally forgot to turn off its music as it passed the North Kensington Fire station at 3pm. Firefighters were seen shaking their heads in disbelief as the float passed. When the MC eventually noticed, he issued an apology to the crowd.
Despite the hiccup, the carnival was largely a happy event as revellers danced around more than 50 sound systems in W10 and continued partying until late in the evening.
60th Anniversary and Continuing Festivities
This year’s festivities mark 60 years since the carnival’s inception, which was originally born out of resistance to racial injustice. The first day saw Saturday’s Steel Band Competition, while Sunday began with the colourful J’ouvert opening celebration at Ladbroke Grove followed by the much-anticipated Children’s Day and Dutty Mas parade, kicking off at Westbourne Park. Sounds of calypso, samba reggae and soca continued right up until 7pm. Festivities will tomorrow continue when the Adult’s Day parade will mark the very peak of carnival.
