Notting Hill Carnival tips
Notting Hill Carnival returns this August bank holiday for its 60th anniversary. If you follow me, you’ll know that this is the best weekend of the year for London, photography or not.
Whether you’re going to photograph it, dance all day or simply experience it for the first time, these are the things I’ve learnt after years of attending and photographing Carnival.
Notting Hill Carnival 2025, Monday at 10:45
First a quick outline: Notting Hill Carnival runs mainly on Sunday and Monday, but there is the Panorama Steel Band competition on the Saturday, which I’ve never attended. Sunday and Monday follow a very similar format, so the rest of these tips apply to both days, unless stated otherwise.
Travel: If you go early (before 1pm), you can arrive at Notting Hill Gate and walk up, or Kensal Green and walk down. As the day goes on, stations can become exit-only or temporarily closed because of crowding, so be prepared to walk a little further. Paddington is also an good option, just pack some marmalade sandwiches.
Opening Ceremony: In the morning of the Sunday there is the opening ceremony, ‘J’ouvert’. This starts at 6am and involves lots of paint and oil being thrown around so if you want to shoot this, consider camera and clothing protection. It can be a long and tiring couple of days so I’ve never attended the opening ceremony for fear of running out of steam during the day (I like to stay to the end).
Timings: The parades start at 10:30 and run to 17:00 on the Sunday and 19:00 on the Monday. This is the main difference between the Sunday and Monday; the Sunday is the kids’ parade while the Monday is the adults’ parade. The sound systems run from 12:00 to 19:00.
Where to shoot: If you want to shoot the parade, or at least follow it, then I would recommend the Monday so you can shoot the adults’ parade. You can wait at the side, walk along and follow or if you’re feeling brave, get on the streets and join in! The sound systems are sprinkled around the connecting streets, the best advice here is to just keep moving around and stay where you like the music.
Navigating the crowds: Notting Hill Carnival gets very busy. Somewhere around 2 million people attend over the two days. Apparently there are slightly more people on the Monday, but last time I tried to validate this I lost count. It hits its peak from around 3pm, when the music is fully going and the rum is freely flowing. With this in mind, I would say find where you want to be by 2pm, maybe 3pm and then stick in that general area. Avoid trying to cross North/South after this point, treating the Westway flyover as the border, unless you enjoy a big crush. Pick one side of the Westway and make your peace that you’re there for the rest of the day. I forgot my own rule last year and lost over an hour just moving what should be 10 mins.
What to bring: Just bring the usual things. As you’ll be on your feet for some time with little shade/shelter, bear in mind comfort, sunscreen, water, ear protectors etc. All the street vendors, of which there are many, will accept cards but definitely bring some cash too in case you want to pay a local for access to their toilets, rum punch or just for an emergency. Try to go light if you can, a big bag is a pain in the arse in crowds. I also bring a hip flask of rum, but that is very much an optional extra.
Camera specifics: Any camera will work but it’s a long day so bring enough batteries and SD card space. If you’re going to shoot the opening ceremony, bring some camera protection for paint. Ultimately Carnival is a massively fun event, so you won’t be looking through your viewfinder all day, so don’t get too caught up on the technical details.
Safety: Given the number of people attending, I’ve always found Carnival feels much safer than its reputation suggests. Just keep the same awareness you would at any major event. If the vibes feel off, move on.
Mobile phones: Signal will be bad. Very bad. If you need to meet people, set a time and place beforehand as you’ll probably be unable to call, text or WhatsApp reliably in the afternoons.
Toilets: There are public toilets available but as usual, it is much easier if you are able to use a urinal. There are some paid toilets by some of the sound stages, which for the convenience is money well spent. Otherwise, you’ll see some budding entrepreneurs offering the services of their toilets for a modest fee. Hopefully they won’t go on to run a podcast speaking about how a few glasses of wine ruined three days of their life. Bring some hand sanitiser!
Leaving: At 19:00 the sound systems stop and everyone will be looking to leave. If you’re ok walking with those crowds and waiting at busy stations to get home, then staying until 19:00 is fine, otherwise try to get out earlier. If it’s not a cloudy day, then it’s worth noting that golden hour is right at the end of the day, with sunset just before 20:00.
Notting Hill Carnival 2025, Sunday at 09:50
I don’t think anything here is particularly controversial. I’ll bring up ear protectors again as you quite often have to walk closely past the speakers and they are extremely loud. I only started wearing the Loop earplugs last year and kinda wish I had been doing that earlier. Oh and definitely remember the point on the North / South divide. Losing over an hour of the best weekend of the year is painful. Finally, as with street photography in general, bring a positive attitude. It’s a joyous event after all and try to look over any little inconveniences.
Notting Hill Carnival 2024, a sound system south of the Westway, Sunday at 16:30
Notting Hill Carnival 2025, Sunday at 14:30
You can see more of my images from Notting Hill Carnival here. If you have any questions, please shout in the comments and I’ll come back to you!