Every August, the streets of west London are filled with the sounds of steel drums and reggae bands, and with hundreds of thousands of people. The Notting Hill Carnival is a tribute to the area's West Indian heritage – the annual celebration of Caribbean culture was founded in 1966 by West Indian immigrants following the Notting Hill race riots of 1958.
And every August, the newspapers are filled with stories of violence. Four people were stabbed at this year's Carnival, and more than 450 were arrested, mostly for possession of drugs or weapons offences. However, for the vast majority of revellers, Carnival is one long party, a joyous celebration both of Caribbean culture and of London's extraordinary diversity.
These 50 photos really capture the spirit of Carnival: the colourful fun of Children's Day, the glitz and glamour of the parade, the struggle to get anywhere on the tightly-packed streets until you give up and dance to what turns out to be the best soundsystem on the best afternoon you've ever had until it all comes to an end and you wander drunkenly along litter-strewn streets with no idea how to get home. And not caring.
A young performer participates in the Children's Day paradePeter Nicholls/ReutersYoung performers show off their moves during the Children's Day parade on the first day of the Notting Hill CarnivalJack Taylor/Getty ImagesSpectators watch performers participating in the Children's Day paradePeter Nicholls/ReutersRevellers covered in oil, paint and flour take part in the parade on Children's DayDaniel Leal-Olivas/AFPA man covered in oil takes part in the parade on Children's DayBen A Pruchnie/Getty ImagesHuge crowds the streets pack on the first day of the Notting Hill CarnivalDaniel Leal-Olivas/AFPPolice officers assemble outside a Notting Hill brasserieJack Taylor/Getty ImagesA dancing policeman (of course there was a dancing policeman – it's the Notting Hill Carnival)Ben A Pruchnie/Getty ImagesA brief rain shower did nothing to dampen the spirits of revellers...Jack Taylor/Getty Images...Nothing could rain on this woman's parade...Jack Taylor/Getty Images...She's invincibleDaniel Leal-Olivas/AFPPeople dance at a soundstage during Notting Hill Carnival's Children's DayBen A Pruchnie/Getty ImagesScenes at a soundstage: Dancing, flirting, drinking and checking to see where your other friends areJack Taylor/Getty Images...Ah, so that's where their other friends areJack Taylor/Getty ImagesPeople inhale nitrous oxide from balloons, which have become a standard fixture at festivals across BritainJack Taylor/Getty ImagesA British bulldog given a Carnival makeover – it's a metaphorBen A Pruchnie/Getty ImagesPerformers dance during the samba parade on the second day of the Notting Hill CarnivalJack Taylor/Getty ImagesA performer dances with a police officer during the Notting Hill CarnivalNeil Hall/ReutersA policeman takes a selfie with a Carnival dancerDaniel Leal-Olivas/AFPA Carnival dancer takes a selfie with two police officersBen A Pruchnie/Getty ImagesPerformers dance in the parade at the Notting Hill CarnivalNeil Hall/ReutersA costumed dancer poses for a photo during the paradeDaniel Leal-Olivas/AFPThe samba parade makes its way down west London streetsDaniel Leal-Olivas/AFPSamba dancers bring a bit of glamour to Westbourne ParkJack Taylor/Getty ImagesA performer reacts to a rain shower as she takes part in the parade at the Notting Hill CarnivalNeil Hall/ReutersYou wait ages for a bus and then three thousand samba dancers arrive at onceBen A Pruchnie/Getty ImagesSpectators line the streets as the parade goes byBen A Pruchnie/Getty ImagesSpectators line the street to watch the paradeJack Taylor/Getty ImagesStreet style, Carnival styleJack Taylor/Getty ImagesPerformers dance on the second day of the Notting Hill Carnival in west LondonDaniel Leal-Olivas/AFPThere's always twerking at the Notting Hill Carnival...Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP...A lot of twerking...Jack Taylor/Getty Images...A whole lot of twerking. (They are twerking, aren't they?)Neil Hall/ReutersTwerking is not the only traditonal dance you'll see at Carnival; there's also... thisNeil Hall/ReutersThe most west London photo ever takenJack Taylor/Getty ImagesTwo women with orange hair walk through Notting Hill CarnivalJack Taylor/Getty ImagesStandard practice at Carnival: queueing to use the toilet in an enterprising local resident's houseNeil Hall/ReutersPeople sell food from a stall outside a houseJack Taylor/Getty ImagesA barman has a drink behind a pop-up bar at the Notting Hill CarnivalJack Taylor/Getty ImagesPeople queue for drinks at an off licenceJack Taylor/Getty ImagesPolice officers control the crowds on west London's packed streetsJack Taylor/Getty ImagesThis is what most people's Notting Hill Carnival photos look like: endless crowdsJack Taylor/Getty ImagesA man with a bloodied face speaks to policeDaniel Leal-Olivas/AFPA man is apprehended by police during the Notting Hill CarnivalBen A Pruchnie/Getty ImagesA performer sits on a wall at the end of the second day of the Notting Hill CarnivalDaniel Leal-Olivas/AFPRevellers and performers begin to leave Notting Hill Carnival as the party comes to an endJack Taylor/Getty ImagesPeople walk past rubbish pilled up around a lamp post as they leave the Notting Hill CarnivalJack Taylor/Getty ImagesA man has a nap behind a food tent as Notting Hill Carnival comes to an endJack Taylor/Getty ImagesRevellers leave the Notting Hill Carnival as night falls on the Trellick TowerJack Taylor/Getty ImagesA sign thanks people for coming to The Notting Hill Carnival – but one guy seems to have decided not to leaveJack Taylor/Getty Images
The carnival remains one of Europe's biggest street parties with hundreds of thousands attending each year. It takes place at the end of August on the last two days of a three-day weekend.
