Notting Hill Carnival will this weekend celebrate its 60th anniversary. In other words, London’s biggest and best party is set to be more unmissable than ever.
Planning on heading to Carni this weekend? Time Out’s got you covered. You can find a full schedule and timings here and check out the bank holiday weather forecast here.
Every year organisers and the local council also put together helpful maps, showing you where all the action is happening. Check them out below, along with your need-to-know guide.
Notting Hill Carnival parade route
The children’s parade is held on the Sunday, the adult parade on the Monday. Although they’re very different events, the route is the same, snaking from Westbourne Park Station to Elkstone Road. Along the way, the parades will take in Westbourne Grove, Ladbroke Grove, Kensal Road and Golborne Road.
Map
Here is the map from the event organisers:
Image credit: Notting Hill CarnivalNotting Hill Carnival map
And here is the map from Kensington and Chelsea Council.
Image: Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea2026 Carnival map
The best locations to watch Notting Hill Carnival
The Judges’ Area
Next to the Brunel Estate near Westbourne Park Station, this is one of the parade’s top viewing spots. For the second year in a row, the judges’ Grandstand is open to the public – you can nab your tickets here.
Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove offers a great vantage point simply because it’s so long, so you can always shuffle your way to a good spot.
Westbourne Grove
After Ladbroke Grove, Westbourne Grove is the second longest stretch of the whole route. A word of advice: stick to the north side.
Music
There’s so much to see and do at Carnival, but if the sound systems are your priority, this 60th birthday bash looks like a classic. Different Strokes will be pumping out hip-hop, jungle and drum’n’bass; the legendary Gaz’s Rockin’ Blues will be serving up ska, rock’n’roll and rocksteady; and KCC and the Rockin Crew will be heating things up with a hefty dose of house.
That’s just three options in an endless array – for a full list of tips, check out our list of the best Notting Hill Carnival sound systems for 2026.
Food
There are over 300 stalls at Carnival (up from last year’s 250), meaning there’s something for everyone – from Jamaican jerk chicken to Trinidadian roti and Guyanese pepper pot. There are veggie options at most stalls and the number of vegan traders has increased for 2026.
Toilet locations at Notting Hill Carnival
There’ll be more than 1,000 toilets available along the route. Carnival has also provided a list of accessible toilets, which you can find below:
Tavistock Crescent
Shrewsbury Road
Leamington Road Villas
Aldridge Road Villas
Artesian Road
Northumberland Place
Sutherland Place
Needham Road
Adair Road
All Saints Road
Blenheim Crescent
Canal Way
Colville Gardens
Colville Road
Colville Terrace (both locations)
Denbigh Road
East Row
Faraday Road
Kensington Park Road (all 3 locations)
Ladbroke Square j/w Ladbroke Grove
Lansdowne Road
Notting Hill Gate
Pembridge Square
Pembridge Place
St Charles Square
Stanley Crescent
Treverton Street
How to get to Notting Hill Carnival
Your best option is taking the tube or Elizabeth Line to Paddington. Otherwise, there are special bus services running for Carnival weekend. For example, the 148X to Victoria and Vauxhall runs between Notting Hill Gate and Victoria from 10am to 5pm, and then Notting Hill Gate and Vauxhall until 10pm. Check out the full list here.
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