19 November 2008

• Today's Events
• Weekly Events
• Search Events

Notting Hill Carnival 2006

The vibrant Notting Hill Carnival has been held every August Bank Holiday since 1964 and attracts visitors and performers from all over the world and in carnival terms is second only to Rio!

Started by Trinidadian immigrants in an effort to bring together the community, the two major features of carnival are Mas, the costumes and masquerade, and Soca, a colourful mixture of Soul and Calypso.

The party warms up on the Saturday of the August Bank Holiday Weekend. By Sunday the carnival is in full swing for the family-orientated kids' carnival, Monday is the main event.

This year's theme is "aspiration and achievement in unity"

Around a million visitors are expected as the streets of west London are filled with floats, steel bands and dancers.

Route map for the carnival showing performance areas and sound systems

Safety tips

• keep aware, pickpockets will be attracted to the large crowds
• keep hold of all your property, especially whilst travelling. Lost items may cause a security alert and could disrupt services
• congestion may cause delays to your bus journey or cause some stations to be closed temporarily
• please be patient, our staff will be doing their best to get you to and from the Carnival
• take care if using open platform buses particularly when getting on or off in traffic
• if you are travelling only a short distance it may be quicker to walk
• arrange to meet friends before entering the Carnival area. Please don’t arrange to meet outside/ inside stations;
• check arrangements for your return journey before leaving for the Carnival - if you move around the area you may find your return journey easier from another station or bus stop

.