Notting Hill Carnival 2026
Notting Hill Carnival 2026
Celebrating the 60th Anniversary
The Diamond Jubilee
Saturday 29 August – Panorama (with Junior Panorama)
Sunday 30 August – J’ouvert & Children’s Day Parade, Sound Systems and Stages
Monday 31 August – Main Parade, Sound Systems and Stages
TT: NHCarnivalLDN I: nhcarnivalldn
www.nhcarnival.org
Notting Hill Carnival invites you to celebrate its 60th anniversary. Now Europe's largest cultural event and the world’s second largest carnival, London’s diamond event has grown from a small community party into the glorious, world famous spectacle it is today.
In 1966, local resident and social worker Rhaune Laslett arranged a children's street party with the aim of bringing together a neighbourhood scarred by conflict, racial tension and poor housing. It was a simple gesture that proved the spark that ignited one of the world’s great cultural events.
In the years that preceded 1966, Notting Hill had been inflicted with race riots and growing tensions. Political parties were actively splintering and dividing communities through false narratives, born out of hatred. In May 1959, Kelso Cochrane, a young Antiguan man was murdered in a racially motivated attack that deeply affected the local community and which, to this day, stands as a powerful symbol of racial injustice in Britain. All this, and much more, played a significant part in Carnival’s existence.
As part of the street parties festivities, Rhaune Laslett invited Russell Henderson’s Steel Band to play. Impromptuded, they decided to tie their pans around their necks and began weaving their way through Portobello Road in a procession. People came out of their homes to follow, dance, have fun and enjoy the music together, galvanising the community.
Matthew Phillip, CEO of Notting Hill Carnival Ltd “2026 is a special year for Notting Hill Carnival. It is six decades of costumes, colour, sound, Steelpan, Calypso, Soca and sound systems. Six decades of a community that turned exclusion into expression, and struggle into celebration.
“It is important we remember Carnival did not begin as a spectacle. It was a need for the community. It was to bring the divided together! We stand on the shoulders of the people that made Carnival what it is today. This anniversary is theirs.
“This year will be spectacular and it will celebrate Carnival’s Diamond Jubilee with the sounds, colours and reverie we have come to expect. We know Carnival’s community will continue to pave the way for its glorious future.”
Notting Hill Carnival continues to be a symbol of unity born out of that simple ambition and for decades it has gone beyond the Carnival weekend itself. The Sound Systems, Steel and Mas bands of Carnival serve their communities 365 days a year, offering opportunities to learn skills and be part of something creative. Through their art, they bring joy to those participating and those spectating.
Such is its draw that the Mayor of London estimates that Notting Hill Carnival is worth £400 million to the London economy.
This community will once again display a weekend of colour, culture and togetherness - be part of this year's Notting Hill Carnival…
Saturday 29 August - from 4pm
Panorama & Junior Panorama
Taking place in Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance Park, as ever this will be an event of Steel Pan excellence. Junior Panorama starts at 5pm and the full competition at 8pm. Tickets are available now from here.
Sunday 30 August – J’ouvert, Children’s Day Parade, Sound Systems & Stages
At 6am, J’ouvert will begin on Canal Way Roundabout.
The Opening Ceremony will take place from 10am - 10.30am on Great Western Road by the Judging Zone. This launches the flamboyant Children’s Day Parade, a joyous celebration of young masqueraders in dazzling costumes.
Sound Systems and Stages are in action from 12pm to 7pm.
Monday 31 August – Main Parade, Sound Systems & Stages
The parade begins at 10.30am, the streets come alive with a full display of the artistry, heritage, and creativity of Carnival culture. Many of the costumes, some measuring metres in height, are handmade over the course of an entire year and have to be seen to be believed!
Sound Systems and Stages are once again in action from 12pm to 7pm.
Moment of Reflection – 3pm, Sunday and Monday
At 3pm on both days of Notting Hill Carnival, we invite all attendees to join us in a 72-second silence to remember the 72 lives tragically lost in the Grenfell Tower fire and members of the community that we have sadly lost. We give thanks to the pioneers who are no longer with us that assured Carnival’s vital legacy.
This year Notting Hill Carnival has received additional funding of £4.66 million from the Mayor Of London in addition to the money received from the Royal Borough Of Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster Council. This show of support will help Carnival thrive. The additional funding has allowed for more crowd management measures to be explored and implemented by best-in-class crowd experts, to increase the number of stewards and the use of technology throughout Carnival. It also allows Carnival organisers to take on greater responsibility from organising partners such as the Metropolitan Police. Notting Hill Carnival Ltd would like to thank the Mayor Of London, Royal Borough Of Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster councils for this show of support.
New for 2026
We are delighted to announce Notting Hill Carnival has launched an official Merch on Demand store on Amazon which will feature limited edition 60th anniversary collections with products available to buy now. Profits made after costs will be put back into the development of Notting Hill Carnival helping support its future.
A brand new Notting Hill Carnival App will be available soon. With a brand new map, the latest news, band and sound system information, live updates and more, this will be the perfect information hub for everything you need from Notting Hill Carnival before, during and after Carnival Weekend. Keep an eye on social media for its official launch.
Partnerships
Growing the international legacy of Notting Hill Carnival has been developing collaborations with Carnival tropical de Paris 2026 and Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival. Carnival tropical de Paris took place on Sunday 5 July. It once again lit up Champs-Élysées as part of the summer program Paris en Seine with Ebony Steelband and an array of masqueraders from multiple bands and DJ’s representing Notting Hill Carnival.
As we continue to develop our ongoing alignments, our aim is to bring Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival Queen to this year's Notting Hill Carnival. This huge undertaking would be a huge statement piece for the 60th anniversary with the word ‘costume’ underselling this incredible theatrical display - see more to understand here. Antonio Rosales, spokesperson for the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival… “This historic collaboration has been years in the making and we are beyond delighted that it is finally happening. In Santa Cruz de Tenerife, we pride ourselves on having a carnival that may not be the largest or most famous but is, without doubt, the most joyful carnival in the world. To bring our spectacular Carnival Queen to take part in the Notting Hill Carnival is not only further confirmation of the centuries-long bond shared between London, Tenerife and the Canary Islands as a region, but, the start of an exciting new relationship between our two carnivals.”
Spotify is returning for its seventh consecutive year as an official partner with its annual Carnival Sounds campaign. This year, Spotify is bringing video to the forefront with a star-studded lineup of exciting artists performing exclusive live covers of the iconic songs that have shaped Carnival over its 60-year history. The videos, all shot in Notting Hill, will live within the Carnival Sounds Hub on Spotify, an evolution of the original 2020 microsite—which serves as the ultimate space for cultural discovery by bringing together curated playlists, audiobooks, and podcasts dedicated to Caribbean music and culture. Alongside this digital celebration, Spotify continues its foundational support through its annual donation to Notting Hill Carnival, ensuring the festival's rich musical legacy is championed both on and off the platform.
Hennessy is celebrating six decades of the sounds that have shaped Carnival. To mark the milestone, the cognac house has brought together a panel of voices from across the community (Notting Hill Carnival CEO Matthew Phillip, Rhythm Section founder Bradley Zero and artist Nia Archives) to curate a list of 60 songs that have shaped Carnival for them. Throughout August, the tracks will come to life at Jumbi Peckham across a series of specially themed nights, with the full 60 also available to stream on Spotify.
Julie Nollet, Moët Hennessy UK Managing Director… “For over 250 years, Hennessy has lived alongside music as a ritual, a reference and a shared creative language, poured across sound systems and written into the moments that bring people together. This year, Hennessy returns to Notting Hill Carnival to mark six decades of celebration with Hennessy Carnival 60, a project rooted in music legacy and its power to connect people. Honouring the sounds that have shaped Carnival across sixty years, Hennessy Carnival 60 celebrates Caribbean British music and the artists, selectors and communities who have carried it from the streets of Notting Hill to stages around the world.”
Jamaican brands MAGNUM Tonic Wine and Wray & Nephew are proud to join as official partners. MAGNUM will make its debut with the new MAGNUM Stage at Powis Square, bringing its signature energy to one of Carnival's key destinations. Alongside this, Wray & Nephew continues its longstanding connection to Notting Hill Carnival, celebrating the heritage, culture and community that sit at the heart of this iconic event.
Refine.023 has been an incredible partner in helping bring the Wray & Nephew and MAGNUM Tonic Wine partnerships to life for Notting Hill Carnival's 60th Anniversary. Their understanding of Carnival's culture, heritage and community has been evident throughout, ensuring both brands have shown up in a way that is authentic, respectful and meaningful. Their collaborative spirit, attention to detail and commitment to cultural storytelling have made them a pleasure to work with, helping to create partnerships that celebrate and support the people, traditions and legacy that make Notting Hill Carnival so special.
Notting Hill Carnival Ltd has embarked on a multiyear research project with UCL's Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, led by Mariana Mazzucato, and Alvaro Barrington's non-profit organisation Emelda CIC, has embarked on a multiyear research collaboration to make the case for Carnival — ensuring the wealth it generates into the people and communities that make it possible.Through a public campaign, research, and policy reports, the partners are calling for the wealth Carnival generates to be reinvested in the enterprises, institutions, creative workforce, and innovations that sustain it. This ensures Carnival's undervalued labour and craftsmanship are properly recognised and valued both socially and economically.
Notting Hill Carnival is supporting the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) who this year celebrate their 30th anniversary. ACLT launched in 1996 and Carnival that year was one of the first major events the charities founders Beverley De Gale OBE and Orin Lewis OBE set up and recruited for stem cell donors. To celebrate their 30th anniversary, ACLT are hosting the Gift Of Life Gala on Saturday 30 October (tickets are on sale now here) and will collaborate with Notting Hill Carnival to host a blood drive targeting 100 donors on Saturday 24th October at the Brixton Blood Donor Centre.
