Millions of people are set to descend on the streets of West London over the bank holiday weekend
Notting Hill Carnival is only a matter of days away, with excitement for the 60th anniversary celebration building across the capital. But, while millions of attendees enjoy live music, dancing, and the main parade, the party comes at a cost to drivers.
The annual event will see over 100 roads blocked off across the bank holiday weekend, including restrictions on Notting Hill Gate for the first time. Only pre-authorised vehicles and emergency services will be allowed into the Carnival area.
Residents in the affected area will be refused access to their cars and should move them before the festivities kick off, Kensington and Chelsea Council said in an advisory notice. Parking restrictions are beginning from 11.59pm on Saturday, August 29.
Drivers should return to their home roads as late as possible on Tuesday, September 1.
The following roads will be closed for Carnival between 6am on Sunday, August 30 and 6am on Tuesday, September 1, or until its safe to do:
A – F
- Aldridge Road Villas
- Alexander Mews
- Alexander Street
- Alfred Road
- Artesian Road
- Bark Place
- Bayswater Road
- Bishops Bridge Road (from Porchester Road to Westbourne Grove)
- Botts Mews
- Bridstow Place
- Brunel Estate
- Caradoc Close
- Caroline Close
- Caroline Place
- Chapel Side
- Chepstow Road
- Courtnell Street
- Dartmouth Close
- Dawson Place
- Durham Terrace
- Elgin Avenue
- Fermoy Road
- Fosbury Mews
G – L
- Garway Road
- Great Western Road, starting at the junction with Harrow Road
- Hatherley Grove
- Head’s Mews
- Hereford Road
- Hereford Mews
- Holland Park Avenue
- Holland Road
- Hormead Road
- Ilchester Gardens
- Inver Court
- Inverness Terrace
- Inverness Place
- Kennet Road
- Kensington Church Street
- Kensington Gardens Square
- Kildare Gardens
- Kildare Terrace
- Leamington Road Villas
- Ledbury Road
- Leinster Square
- Lombardy Place
M – R
- Monmouth Place
- Monmouth Road
- Moorhouse Road
- Moscow Road
- Moscow Place
- Needham Road
- Newton Road
- North Carriage Drive
- Northumberland Place
- Orme Court
- Orme Court Mews
- Orme Square
- Orme Lane
- Ossington Street
- Park Lane, junction Hyde Park corner
- Palace Court
- Pickering Mews
- Poplar Place
- Porchester Road
- Porchester Gardens
- Porchester Square
- Princess Court
- Princes Square
- Princes Mews
- Queensway
- Queen’s Mews
- Redan Place
- Rede Place
S – W
- Salem Road
- Shrewsbury Mews
- Shrewsbury Street
- Shrewsbury Road
- St Lukes Road
- St Petersburgh Mews
- St Petersburgh Place
- St Stephens Crescent
- St Stephens Gardens
- St Stephens Mews
- Sunderland Terrace
- Uxbridge Street
- Sutherland Place
- Talbot Road
- Tavistock Road
- Tavistock Crescent
- Uxbridge Street
- Wellington Close
- Westbourne Gardens
- Westbourne Grove
- Westbourne Grove Terrace
- Westbourne Park Road
- Westbourne Park Villas
- Western Mews
- West Carriage Drive
- Woodfield Place
- Woodfield Road
Further road closures can be seen in this map provided by Kensington and Chelsea Council:
Notting Hill Gate changes
A section of Notting Hill Gate will be closed to all traffic except buses on Sunday, August 30 and Monday, August 31 in a first for 2026. Exact times will be confirmed closer to the event.
Road closures in the area will divert traffic via:
- Addison Road
- Kensington High Street
- Kensington Church Street
To help manage traffic, roads south of Notting Hill Gate will be access-only. Parking restrictions and enforcement will also be in place.
How to reach Notting Hill Carnival
By rail
Transport for London (TfL) is encouraging people attending Carnival to get off at Paddington station and walk the remaining 20-minute distance due to crowd concerns. This is because many Tube stations nearer the festivities will be queued out or shut entirely.
The parade route spans from North Kensington to Stanley Crescent, and from Westbourne Green to Ladbroke Grove. As such, a number of stations within that area will also be subject to restrictions:
- Ladbroke Grove: Closed all day
- Latimer Road: May close for short periods throughout the day, station shuts at 11pm
- Notting Hill Gate: No entry from 11am – 6pm, District/Circle lines will not stop
- Westbourne Park: No entry from 11am
- Holland Park: No entry from 11am – 3pm, station shuts at 3pm
- Queensway: No entry from 11am – 6pm. Station is exit only
- Royal Oak: No entry from 11am – 6pm, station shuts at 6pm
- Shepherds Bush: No ticket facilities or down escalator after 4pm. Access to platforms will be via 71 steps
- Kensal Green: Queues expected outside station all day
- Kensal Rise: Chamberlayne Road entrance closes at 6pm, queueing system thereafter.
By bus
Due to road closures, day and night buses will be diverted away from the Carnival area. The following routes are affected:
- Daytime: 7, 18, 23, 27, 28, 31, 36, 52, 70, 228, 295, 302, 316, 328
- Night-time: N7, N27, N28, N31
However, a few special limited-stop bus routes are in place across the weekend:
- 148X to Victoria and Vauxhall: Operating between Notting Hill Gate and Victoria from 10am – 5pm, then Notting Hill Gate and Vauxhall until 10pm. This calls at Shepherd’s Bush, Notting Hill Gate, Marble Arch and Victoria.
- 7X to East Acton: Serves all route 7 stops between Oxford Circus and Paddington and Du Cane Road and East Acton. Also calls at Lancaster Gate and Notting Hill Gate.
- 36X to Harrow Road: Runs between Peckham and Harrow Road in one direction only.
- 18X to Stonebridge Park: Runs between Warren Street and Stonebridge Park from 12:00 to 22:00. 23X to Victoria: Runs between Harrow Road, Prince of Wales and Victoria for four trips on Monday afternoon only.
- 6X to Harrow Road: Runs between Peckham and Harrow Road in one direction only. This calls at all stops between Peckham and Vauxhall, then running non-stop to Harrow Road.
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