Notting Hill Carnival is officially ON! The organisers, Notting Hill Carnival Ltd (NHCL), have confirmed that Europe’s biggest street party will once again bring the rhythms, colours and culture of the Caribbean to the streets of West London this August Bank Holiday weekend.
This welcome news comes following an independent review commissioned by NHCL, with the support of key Carnival partners. As a result, a much-needed £958,000 in additional funding has been pledged by City Hall, the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, and Westminster City Council. These funds will be used to enhance safety and infrastructure throughout the event.
Chair of Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, Ian Comfort, said: “We are delighted that our partners at City Hall, the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, and the City of Westminster have come together to provide the funding necessary to ensure Notting Hill Carnival 2025 can go ahead. We also extend our sincere gratitude to the Metropolitan Police for their continued commitment to supporting the event and facilitating the implementation of key recommendations.
“Notting Hill Carnival is one of the UK’s most significant cultural celebrations, attracting up to two million attendees annually and honouring Caribbean heritage through music, costume, performance, and design. Although Arts Council England provides annual funding to organisations such as Carnival Village Trust to develop carnival arts and limited project-based support to some carnival artists and groups, a major gap remains. The essential operational funding required to ensure participants can perform and engage safely has historically not been provided directly by either Arts Council England or central government. This is despite Carnival’s significant cultural importance and its substantial contribution to the UK economy.”
“Although this support comes just weeks before the event, it is a much-needed and welcome commitment. Thanks to the strength of our long-established multi-agency planning and coordination, we remain fully capable of delivering the critical safety and operational measures required. We are working closely with carnivalists, partners and suppliers to ensure a safe, spectacular, and successful Carnival. This support reinforces the importance of Notting Hill Carnival as a cultural institution—central to London’s identity and to the nation’s creative and economic life.”
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Notting Hill Carnival is renowned across the world, with this community-led celebration of Caribbean history and culture attracting Londoners and visitors of all backgrounds to west London.
“The event burst onto our streets nearly six decades ago and has grown to become one of the world’s biggest street festivals, generating almost £400 million for our economy. This incredible growth has led to the need for a number of safety measures to be introduced, as identified in an independent review earlier this year. I’m proud to step forward alongside partners to provide further funding that will ensure this iconic celebration can take place this year, as we build a better London for everyone.”
Deputy Leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, Cllr Kim Taylor-Smith, said: “Carnival attracts over a million people every year and the organisers have asked for more funding to keep participants safe. We are providing this additional funding alongside our partners to enhance crowd management and safety because Government have not yet indicated any support is forthcoming. Given the evolution of Carnival, it has grown so much since the first event on the streets of Notting Hill in 1966, we really do hope Government recognises its importance to the community and will lend its support for the future.
“Following Government funding proposals, this Council is now facing significant funding pressures over the next three years, with budget gaps of around £80 million. So we have to be really clear that this is additional funding for this year only.”
Leader of Westminster City Council, Adam Hug, said: “Carnival is a significant cultural event for London and we’re proud to host part of it in Westminster.
“The Council has increased its financial contribution for this year to help the organisers deliver a successful weekend for the city.”
“In addition to this funding we will continue to support the event through our services, from our waste collection and licensing teams to our events managers and city inspectors, who work around the clock to help prepare for and run Carnival for our communities.”
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward, the Met’s Gold Commander for Notting Hill Carnival this year, said:
“Notting Hill Carnival remains an iconic London event, but one with unique challenges. The Met fully supported the event organisers’ decision to commission an independent review into crowd safety and we welcome the news that some additional funding has now been secured to allow them to implement a number of its recommendations. However, we must acknowledge that with just six weeks to go a lot of hard work is still required to mitigate all of the risks identified.
“While we can be confident that Carnival will be safer this year as a result of the changes that have been introduced, crowd safety remains an ongoing concern that must be carefully monitored and managed. It is important that the organisers continue to work with the partnership and emergency services to consider and take all possible steps to keep attendees safe.”
With the final countdown to Carnival 2025 now truly underway, this latest development reaffirms the profound importance of the event, not just as a celebration of Caribbean culture but as a vital part of the UK’s cultural and economic landscape.
Carnival is more than a party it’s a powerful expression of community, creativity and identity. See you on the road!
Notting Hill Carnival is scheduled to be held on Sunday 24 and Monday 25 August 2025.
