Capturing Notting Hill Carnival: Our Top 5 Photographs From 2024

This year’s Notting Hill Carnival was a vibrant celebration of colour, culture, and community. The spirited street parade became a catwalk for feathered ensembles and amassed an attendance of over 2 million attendees embracing Afro-Caribbean heritage. Here are our top 5 photographs from the two-day festival. 

Photo credits: @paddybyfield 

The pulsing energy of the festival inspires a colourful display of exuberance offered through not only the vibrating beats but also the untamed choice of attire. Reminiscent of Rihanna’s opulent metallic bikini and embellished multi-coloured wings at her native Barbados’s Crop Over Festival, Carnival goers fearlessly demonstrate that a feathered ensemble is a display rich in both character and spirit. The celebration unleashes a sense of play and mischievous whimsicality otherwise subdued throughout the year. Whilst Notting Hill is synonymous with marketgoers and flocks of tote-carrying tourists enchanted by the prospect of Hugh Grant’s charm outside the renowned Notting Hill Bookstore, the annual carnival belongs to both the tourist masses and the generations of Londoners hungry to embrace Caribbean heritage. The quaint, idyllic charm of Notting Hill is reawakened as an invigorating cultural mecca celebrated by over 2 million attendees. From audacious crystal headpieces to more casual ensembles of tank tops with cut-off jeans, the festival’s style landscape offers a spectrum of extravagance. Regardless of attire, the West London neighbourhood’s lavish parades and calypso beats spur a ferocity and gleeful comradery worthy of the year-long wait.

Photo credits: @heathcliffom

The celebration, rooted in the Caribbean Carnivals of the 19th century, is a literal explosion of colour with the festive activity of revellers throwing paint at one another. Carnival-goers, adorned with protective goggles and wrapped in the flags of the Caribbean Islands, expressed their joy by showering each other in powdered paint as crowds gathered. The tradition of paint-throwing is a colourful staple of the J’Ouvert, the opening celebrations of the first day of the annual Carnival. This year, however, the Notting Hill Carnival J’Ouvert was cancelled due to no official bands being able to perform. Determined to participate in the beloved lively celebration, party-goers created a colourful display during Sunday's midday Dutty Mas performances. Bands who performed during the day's festivities included Chocolate Nation Mas, Karnival Mania, and United Colors of Mas. 

Photo credits: @heathcliffom

With the collective displays of celebration and community, it may be difficult to shed light on the individuality of each partygoer. Yet, it’s essential to appreciate the glimpses of each reveller's personal style and contribution to the festivities. Whether embellished with glitter and face jewels or swaying along with flamboyant feathered wings, the Notting Hill Carnival was a daring and striking showcase of fashion as a means of celebration. Alongside extravagant costume wear, leopard print bikinis and cutoff denim booty shorts dominated the streets. The crowds could be seen fashioning 90s-style bucket hats and sunglasses whilst swinging to reggae and clapping to the heavy beating of steel pans. In recent years, as the carnival has evolved, the street style has controversially diverted from its original acknowledgement of traditional African and Indian culture, moving towards creating revealing and eye-catching looks. Older generations who have watched the carnival evolve have argued that the festivities have steered away from traditional stylistic statements of cultural storytelling in favour of more provocative and skin-barring attires. 

Photo credits: @heathcliffom

Amongst the sea of varying costume and fashion displays is the tradition of the Blue Devil, an iconic figure that originated from Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival. Otherwise known as Jab Molassie, the character dates back to the enslaved Africans working on sugar estates. The Blue Devil is one of many traditional elaborate costumes that have served as staples of the festival’s mas, short for masquerade. Handcrafted and tailor-made costumes have become integral components of the street theatre, with some even committing to full body paint. Mas began in the Caribbean in the 1800s following the abolition of slavery— a tradition the Notting Hill Carnival has incorporated ever since its beginnings in 1966. Mas originated as and continues to be a celebration of the slaves’ freedom, combining African, European, and Brazilian cultural traditions. Vibrant and cheerful blue wig-wearing partygoers took to the streets waving flags, creating a dynamic ambience in the multicultural West London streets. 

Photo credits: @paddybyfield

In response to rioting and violent disorder across the UK following the July Southport stabbings, seven thousand police officers were deployed at the Notting Hill Carnival. Dedicated and loyal participants of Carnival argued that for such reasons, the festivities needed to continue. It continues to act as a celebration of inclusion and social cohesion amongst diverse backgrounds. Whilst the long-running carnival was filled with joyous unity, it was simultaneously a site for crime, with eight stabbings and 334 arrests. Following the deaths of two of the stabbing victims, many party-goers have argued for future carnivals to be ticketed as a means of preventing further crime incidences. There were 61 confirmed incidents where officers were assaulted, with such violent acts mostly involving kicks, pushes, or punches.