Notting Hill Carnival 2026 will take place this weekend, with the vibrant London street party running from Sunday, August 30, until Monday, August 31. As in previous years, two parades are planned for the bank holiday weekend: the Children's Day Parade on Sunday at 10:30am and the Adults' Parade at the same time on Monday. The event will cause significant travel disruption for attendees, local residents, and Londoners moving around the city, with both public transport and roads affected.
Parade route and road closures
The two parades will take participants clockwise across Westbourne Grove, Ladbroke Grove, Kensal Road, Elkstone Road, Great Western Road, and Chepstow Road. Extensive road closures will be in place in west London and around the Carnival area from 6am on Sunday, August 30, until 6am on Tuesday, September 1. Between 10am and 10pm on both Sunday and Monday, the A402 Notting Hill Gate will be closed between Campden Hill Road and Kensington Church Street/Palace Gardens Terrace for all traffic except buses. A map showing all road closures and the parade route is available above.
Event schedule and highlights
The Carnival is split across two main days: Family Day on Sunday and Adults' Day on Monday, with a Panorama event held before the main days featuring competitions and orchestras. On Sunday, Family Day includes a J'ouvert pre-dawn celebration from 6am to 9am, an Official Opening Ceremony from 10am to 10:30am, the Children's Day Parade from 10:30am, and live performances at the Powis Square Stage from midday to 7pm. Monday's Adults' Day features the Adults' Parade from 10:30am and live performances at the Powis Square Stage from midday to 7pm. Both days are free to attend, with tickets only required for the Panorama event on Saturday night.
Tube and station restrictions
Transport for London (TfL) has warned of several closures and amendments to Tube stations across central and west London. Entry into Oxford Circus station will be restricted at times for safety, and most stations within the Carnival area will either be exit only or use one-way systems. Some stations may close for short periods to manage crowding. The Tube is expected to be busy, particularly on the Central line. Affected stations include: Ladbroke Grove (closed all day), Latimer Road (closes at 11pm, may close during busy periods), Notting Hill Gate (no entry between 11am and 6pm, District and Circle lines will not stop), Westbourne Park (no entry from 11am), Holland Park (no entry after 11am, closes at 3pm), Queensway (no entry between 11am and 6pm), Royal Oak (no entry after 11am, closes at 6pm), Shepherd's Bush (no ticket issuing facilities and no 'down' escalator after 4pm), Kensal Green (queues expected), and Kensal Rise (Chamberlayne Road entrance closes at 6pm, queuing system begins at Station Terrace entrance). TfL advises attendees to walk from Paddington, Kensal Rise, or Shepherd's Bush stations. TfL said: 'For the easiest and least crowded journey, take the Tube or Elizabeth line to Paddington Station. Notting Hill Carnival is a short walk away. Follow the signed route to and from the carnival.'
Bus diversions and special services
Both day and night buses will be diverted away from the Carnival area. To the north, buses will start from the Prince of Wales pub on Harrow Road, while buses to the south will start from Notting Hill Gate. Affected bus routes include day buses 7, 18, 23, 27, 28, 31, 36, 52, 70, 228, 295, 302, 316, and 328, and night buses N7, N27, N28, and N31. Special limited-stop services will run: 148X to Victoria and Vauxhall (Notting Hill Gate to Victoria between 10am and 5pm, then to Vauxhall until 10pm), 7X to East Acton (Oxford Circus to Paddington and Du Cane Road to East Acton), 36X to Harrow Road (Peckham to Harrow Road, one direction only), 18X to Stonebridge Park (Warren Street to Stonebridge Park between midday and 10pm), and 23X to Victoria (Harrow Road, Prince of Wales, to Victoria, four trips on Monday afternoon only). Check the TfL website or operator for specific route changes.
Other travel disruptions
Unrelated to the Carnival, planned engineering work will affect several Tube lines over the bank holiday weekend. On both Sunday and Monday, the DLR will have a part closure between Shadwell and Tower Gateway, the Northern line between Camden Town and High Barnet and Mill Hill East, the Waterloo & City line will be entirely closed, and the Tram will have part closures between East Croydon and Church Street and Reeves Corner, and between Arena and Elmers End. On National Rail, there will be no LNER trains between London King's Cross and Peterborough due to signalling upgrades on Sunday, no morning Southern trains between Clapham Junction and Shepherd's Bush, and buses will replace trains between London Bridge and Tulse Hill via Peckham over the weekend. East Midlands Rail (EMR) warned of disruption due to RMT union walkouts, running a reduced service between 8am and 7pm on Sunday and Monday, advising customers to travel only if 'absolutely essential'. Many rail lines will operate an amended Bank Holiday service on Monday. It is recommended to check your route before travelling to avoid delays.
