Police said the annual celebration went off ‘largely without incident’ despite hundreds of arrests in the capital.
Police in Notting Hill last night during operations around the carnival (Image: PA)
Notting Hill Carnival saw 560 arrests and one man died in a two-day event in London which the Met Police said passed “largely without incident”. The force admitted the number of people arrested was likely to rise, with offences so far including possesion of knives and other weapons, including a handgun.
A man believed to be in his 20s also died after entering a canal off Kensal Road while being pursued by police officers near the carnival. The police said there were two assaults with knives – one stabbing and one slashing – neither of which resulted in life-threatening injuries.
There were 315 arrests as of 8.30pm on Monday, bringing the total number of arrests over the two days to 560, the force said.
Officers tried to stop the man who entered canal near Harrow Road at around 3.19pm on Monday as he approached the event, but he fled on foot and entered the water near Meanwhile Gardens, the Met said. Officers and members of the public entered the canal and pulled him from the water before CPR was carried out.
He was taken to a central London hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4.43pm. The Met said the incident would be referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for investigation.
Notting Hill Carnival takes to the streets of London (Image: PA)
Meanwhile, police seized 62 weapons across both days, including a handgun recovered on Monday afternoon. Of Monday’s arrests, 48 came after identifications using live facial recognition technology.
The Met said the technology allowed officers to stop 43 registered sex offenders to check they were complying with licence conditions.
Three were arrested for alleged breaches of conditions, in addition to three arrests for breaches on Sunday. An eight-year-old boy who was separated from his parents has since been found.
Thousands of revellers attended the event in west London, with costumes and steel bands moving through the streets.
Commander Claire Smart said: “This is the second year now that we have seen a marked difference in the prevalence of serious violence at Carnival.
“This is the result of not just proactive policing and a determined effort to target our efforts on those posing the greatest risk of harm, but of a collaborative partnership approach to the delivery of the whole event.
“The progress by Notting Hill Carnival Ltd in stepping into so many of the event management and crowd safety roles previously performed by the police cannot be understated.
“They have delivered a challenging event well and in doing so have allowed us to focus our resources on our core role of tackling crime.”
Notting Hill Carnival is an explosion of colour and celebration (Image: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)
The annual carnival, which took place across two main days, is Europe’s biggest street party and billed by organisers as “the greatest community-led event on the planet”.
One carnival-goer, named Michael, said: “Carnival is actually an important part of the culture of London, it’s honestly where everyone can come and have fun.
“No matter who you are, no matter your disability, no matter your race, no matter any background, you can come here and have fun and you’re going to meet people here that are going to make you feel welcome.”
Councillor Elizabeth Campbell, leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, said: “It’s been so much fun being out celebrating Notting Hill Carnival’s 60th anniversary with everyone who has come together to enjoy this incredible event.
“The costumes, the music and the atmosphere are fantastic, and it’s a real reminder of what makes carnival so special.
“I want to pay tribute to our officers, the organisers and partners who have worked so closely together to make this milestone celebration happen. I hope everyone has a fantastic, safe and happy carnival.”
Last week, the force said more than 7,000 officers would be deployed to west London over the bank holiday weekend.
The carnival, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, includes parades, live music, street food and sound stages.
In 2025, the Met said it made 528 arrests across the two main days of the carnival, including 167 for drug offences, 50 for possession of an offensive weapon, 21 for sexual offences, four for violence with injury and 49 for other violence.
In 2024, there were eight stabbings, including the murder of 32-year-old mother Cher Maximen, with the same number the previous year, and seven including a murder in 2022.