Why Stay in Notting Hill, London?
Notting Hill Carnival is Europe's largest street festival and a vibrant celebration of Caribbean culture in the heart of west London. Over two million people throng the streets of Notting Hill and Ladbroke Grove over the August Bank Holiday weekend for a spectacular display of costumes, steel pan music, soca, calypso, and the irresistible rhythm of sound systems on every corner.
Hotels in Notting Hill itself are limited and command extreme premiums during Carnival weekend. Bayswater, just east of the carnival route, offers a wider selection with hotels near the Queensway and Paddington tube stations — both within a 10-minute walk of the action. Kensington and Holland Park to the south provide elegant hotels with easy carnival access via the Central line.
The carnival runs over two days — Sunday is traditionally family day with children's parade and a more relaxed atmosphere. Monday is the main grand finale with the spectacular adult parade featuring elaborate costume bands that take months to design and build, each telling a cultural story through dance and design.
The food at Notting Hill Carnival is legendary. Jerk chicken, curried goat, fried plantain, rice and peas, rum punch, and every Caribbean delicacy you can imagine line the streets in a gloriously aromatic open-air feast. The steel pan performances along the judging route on the western edge of the carnival are musical highlights.