The annual celebration is in its 60th year, and despite officers making more than 100 arrests, top cops say the atmosphere was ‘ overwhelmingly positive and celebratory’ on Sunday
Police are preparing for the second day of Notting Hill Carnival after making 169 arrests on Sunday, but described the mood as “overwhelmingly positive and celebratory”.
The Metropolitan Police said that as of 7.45pm on Sunday, the arrests had been made for offences including possession of drugs, possession of weapons, assaults and sexual offences. The annual west London carnival, which takes place across two main days, is Europe’s biggest street party and billed by organisers as “the greatest community-led event on the planet”.
The carnival is to continue on bank holiday Monday. In a statement on Sunday, the Met Police said: “While officers responded to a number of incidents as would be anticipated at an event of this scale, the mood has been overwhelmingly positive and celebratory.”
The majority of arrests had taken place within the event perimeter and officers had responded to two knife assaults, a slashing to the leg and one to the hand, neither of which resulted in life-changing or threatening injuries, according to the force.
Commander Claire Smart, who is in charge of the policing operation, said the force had been working closely with organisers ahead of the carnival and progress had been made, including in crowd management. On Sunday she said: “While we have seen a significant number of arrests and interventions by officers, the result of that proactive approach is a welcome reduction in the levels of serious violence seen at the event in previous years.
“Nobody involved in the delivery of the event is complacent, however. There are still many officers deployed across the footprint to ensure crowds disperse safely.”
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.
