Is Notting Hill Carnival on this year? Why are people wondering if Notting Hill Carnival 2025 has been cancelled
Fears have been raised about overcrowding, crime, and ‘carnival carnage’
Notting Hill Carnival will return to West London this weekend for three days of parties and celebrations.
The annual celebration is the biggest celebration of Caribbean culture in the UK and has run over the bank holiday weekend most years since 1966.
The colourful streets will erupt with the sound of Samba as the iconic parade makes its way through Notting Hill. The Adult parade will take place on Monday, featuring floats and dancers.
However, many people have been questioning whether this year’s Notting Hill Carnival will go ahead.
Searches for ‘Has Notting Hill Carnival been cancelled?’ have spiked over the last day.
A recent article from the Guardian said Met Police officers have been warned against dancing with revellers during the weekend celebration.
‘With two murders and more than 60 officers injured during last year’s festivities, the Met fears dancing distracts police on duty’, the article said.
According to the Daily Mail, 7,000 police officers have been deployed to work this weekend and have been told to brace for ‘Carnival carnage’.
There have been calls to move the event to Hyde Park, due to its increasing popularity and fears over overcrowding. Approximately one million people attended Notting Hill Carnival in 2024.
349 people were arrested at Notting Hill Carnival last year for incidents including violence, theft, sexual offences and assaults on police - this is the highest number since 2019.
Also, according to reports by the Mail, 31 anti-terror concrete barriers that were installed on Portobello Road last month will be removed for two weeks to ensure ‘people can move freely and safely during the event’.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has also expressed concerns over ‘crowd crush’ at Notting Hill Carnival, revealing he had ‘seen images of some of the crowds’ which made him ‘frightened’.
Despite all these concerns over the event’s safety, Notting Hill Carnival 2025 will go ahead as planned this weekend.