​How to make the most of Notting Hill Carnival 2024

Notting Hill Carnival is upon us once again, bringing with it that strange mix of excitement tinged with the fear that summer is nearly over. In a few days, the streets of West London will be filled with brightly coloured feathers, Caribbean flags, thick, jerk-scented smoke rising from BBQs, and deep bass from custom-made soundsystems, pierced occasionally by the screech of a whistle.

Taking place on August 25 and 26 this year, Notting Hill is the second largest carnival in the world, coming in after Rio de Janeiro’s. For many attendees however, the event begins long before the Bank Holiday weekend, as steel band’s start rehearsing for the national competition (taking place on Saturday), costume makers design intricate outfits, and food vendors prepare their menus many months in advance.

Free to enter, the street party is a celebration of Caribbean culture and heritage. It has a rich history stretching back to the 1950s, when it was established as a means to uplift and unify the Black community (specifically the Windrush generation who had been encouraged to come to Britain to help with post-War labour shortages) in the face of racism, discrimination and violence.

Since then, it has grown in both popularity and musicality, with the Trinidadian sounds of soca and calypso joined by Jamaican soundsystems in 1973 and Brazilian samba bands in 1984. While today it represents a more diverse and contemporary version of London, it remains a strong symbol of Black pride, resistance and expression, firmly rooted in Caribbean culture.

We’ve compiled a guide to help you make the most of this year’s edition, enlisting a few seasoned veterans to help us along the way.

Generally, the carnival area is contained within the bounds of Westbourne Park Road, Cheapstow Road, Westbourne Grove, Ladbroke Grove and Kensal Road, with all streets inside those perimeters closed off. However, Carnival operates on a one-way system, which means you can’t just walk down any old road as some are closed to residents.

Trippin’ does a great map of Carnival that shows all 36 static soundsystems, four stages, two safe spaces, and more. The map works offline, download it to your phone here.

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For travel, Paddington station is always a safe bet. While other stations often close due to overcrowding, Paddington remains open for the entirety of Carnival, serving the Elizabeth, Bakerloo, Hammersmith & City and Circle lines. It is within walking distance from the main area. Shepherds Bush station is also a good option in this respect.

Otherwise, the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines go to Westbourne Park (no entry from 11:AM) and Latimer Road (closes 11.30:PM), and the Central line goes to Queensway, Notting Hill Gate (no entry between 11:AM and 6:PM) and Holland Park (no entry 11:AM to 3:PM).

Beware that all these stations are prone to closing around the end of the carnival, from 6:PM onwards.

The overground serves Kensal Rise, a short walk from the main carnival area.

Plan you journey before heading out using TFL’s journey planner.

As mentioned, Notting Hill Carnival has a long-standing history, not just in the UK, but beyond. Understanding some of this history will give you greater appreciation of the event, and some of the traditions behind it. Watch this short documentary film, MAS, directed by Daniel Amoakoh, to find out more about the history and heritage of Mas Band culture, or ‘Masquerade’ Band culture, which originated in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1800s.

The history behind Notting Hill Carnival specifically is one of resistance and resilience. The first Caribbean Carnival in London came about in response to a spike in violence faced by members of the Caribbean community in North-West London. "If there weren't race riots in Notting Hill I don't believe that we would have had the Notting Hill Carnival. If it wasn't for the murder of Kelso Cochrane, Carnival wouldn't have happened." said the late political activist and broadcaster, Darcus Howe.

We recommend watching Intolerance,, a BBC documentary about these two events and Mangrove from the Small Axe series by Steve McQueen, which tells the story of the Mangrove Nine (including Howe), and the institutionalised racism being experienced by Black communities in Notting Hill.

Read this next: “Indo-Caribbeans are underrepresented”: How Windrush migration inspired a truly global club music movement

It was Trinidadian-born activist Claudia Jones who proposed the first Caribbean Carnival in London, which took place at St Pancras Town Hall, to “wash the taste of Notting Hill and Nottingham [race riots] out of our mouths”. Some years later, in 1966, social worker Rhaune Laslett, organised the first ever Notting Hill Carnival, paving the way for Carnival as we know it today. Trinidadian musician Russell Henderson’s steelband could be heard weaving its way down Portobello Road.

Watch footage of Notting Hill Carnival in the 1970s, to see some of the very first bands, many of which are still going strong today. We also recommend Nice Up The Dance! a short documentary from Rampage Sound System – one of the largest static systems at Carnival – that traces the history of the UK's most influential systems and explores the impact they've had on the present day "urban UK music landscape".

Linett Kamala, AKA ‘Soundsystem Queen’, is a DJ, artist, academic and founding director of LIN KAM ART. She is credited with being the very first female DJ to perform on a soundsystem at Notting Hill Carnival in the mid 1980s and now serves as its Board Director. Today, she continues to champion inclusion and diversity within soundsystem culture by amplifying the presence of women. We talked to her about where to find the best soundsystems this weekend:

“Soundsystem culture originated in Jamaica and was introduced to the UK in the late 1950s by Jamaicans such as Vincent ‘Duke Vin’ Forbes and Sonny Roberts, who set-up the first Black-owned recording studio Planetone in Kilburn and custom-built a soundsystem named Lavender.

"Mr Leslie ‘Teacher’ Palmer formally introduced soundsystems into Notting Hill Carnival when he was the Director back in 1973. Until then, despite Jamaican culture being hugely influential in the UK, it wasn’t represented at the event. The soundsystems at Notting Hill Carnival play a broad range of music genres that are rooted in Black culture.

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"Definitely check out my soundsystem, Trojan 7 x LIN KAM ART on Powis Square. LIN KAM ART is one of the most exciting new soundsystems in the UK, centring underrepresented groups such as young people and women. We will be serving up a healthy dose of deep dubstep, electro, bass music and future beats.

"The legendary Channel One soundsystem at Leamington Road Villas are global ambassadors for the culture with Mikey Dread on the decks playing dub, roots and reggae music. The design of their soundsystem stacks have inspired copies all around the world. Aba Shanti-I is an icon in the soundsystem world and has been playing at Notting Hill Carnival since the 1990s. His Earthshaker Soundsystem stacks will be in full effect at the junction between East Row and Southern Row.

"Make sure you wear earplugs. Two million people combined with amplified music makes for a sonic experience like no other!”

Linett’s essential Notting Hill Carnival kit: whistle, Jamaica flag, water bottle, pocket rain mac (it’s the UK, so you never know), debit card, vegan hand sanitiser and lip balm.

Another music option is the Red Bull Selector stage at Emslie Horniman's Pleasance Park, headlined by Shy One and Lil Silva on Sunday. This brand new, non-ticketed event will put control of the set in the hands of the crowd as dancers will be given a voting tool allowing them to choose between musical cues that appear on the screen behind the DJs (e.g. Original or Remix, Soca or Dancehall, Old School or New School).

Hosted by Faceinthenews and Fatz, the Red Bull Selector stage will also see sets from dancehall queen Alicaì Harley, Jordss B2B p-rallel, Izzy Bossy, Heartless Crew, MC Frisco & DJ Oblig, and more.

A big part of the carnival experience is food. “Secondary only to music,” according to food writer and author of Belly Full: Caribbean Food in the UK Riaz Phillips. “There will never be a Caribbean event without food.” From Jamaican jerk chicken and curried goat to Trinidadian roti to Guyanese pepper pot, there are many different Caribbean cuisines to try, with vegan and vegetarian options available at most.

Golbourne and Portobello Roads are generally good places to head to for food stalls, as well as Lancaster Road, Kensington Park Road and Talbot Road. But there are food stalls dotted around everywhere, they’re not hard to find.

“If you want jerk, make sure you see a proper jerk bbq drum and it will be definitely good.” says Phillips. And any good tips on finding the best spots… “The best spot is the one nearest to wherever you are and the one with the longest queue.”

Travel light and wear comfy clothes – the route is three miles long.

There are a few free water stations at the end of Alderson Street, Kensington Park Road (junction with Arundel Gardens), Kensington Park Road (junction with Ladbroke Road), Shrewsbury Road (junction with St. Stephen’s Gardens).

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There will be toilets spread across the area (usually at the end of roads), but bring hand sanitiser. It is also a good idea to bring cash, as some local residents let you use the toilets in their homes for a small price. Be respectful, of course.

There are first aid centres on Adar Road (near Kensal Rise), Lancaster Road, Denbigh Road, St Stephens Gardens, and near Westbourne Park tube station. For a bit of shade and a nice green area, go to Tavistock Crescent or Colville Square.

Use what3words if you lose people, as there is often limited phone service.

And, if you still have energy at the end of the day, here are some of the best after parties on offer to keep the vibes going…

Supa D and friends will be pulling up to the Ministry of Sound to provide some of the hottest Afro house, UK funky and amapiano sets in London.

Read this next: Toddla T picks his 10 favourite soundsystem culture tracks

If you’d rather stay in the area, check out the Rinse Carnival After Party at local venue Paradise By Way Of Kensal Green.

Or, Benji B’s legendary Deviation party will be going on until the early hours of the morning with a line-up including Benji himself, Judah, Bambii, Virgo Deep, Karen Nyame KG and Hagan.

Find out more at nhcarnival.org

Meena Sears is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Instagram