The Metropolitan Police have reported 169 arrests on the first main day of Notting Hill Carnival, with two knife assaults among the incidents, yet senior officers described the atmosphere as “overwhelmingly positive and celebratory”.
As of 7.45pm on Sunday, arrests had been made for offences including possession of drugs, possession of weapons, assaults and sexual offences, according to the force. The carnival, which is in its 60th year, is Europe’s biggest street party and is billed by organisers as “the greatest community-led event on the planet”.
Police report positive mood despite incidents
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 took place within the event perimeter, and officers 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.
Commander Claire Smart, who is in charge of the policing operation, said the force had worked closely with organisers ahead of the carnival, with progress made including in crowd management. 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.”
Carnival continues on bank holiday Monday
The carnival continues on bank holiday Monday, which is billed as an “adults only day”. Last week, the force said more than 7,000 officers would be deployed to west London over the bank holiday weekend. The event 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.
The second day of the carnival is set to proceed with a significant police presence, as officers remain deployed to ensure the safe dispersal of crowds.
