Two people were stabbed at Notting Hill Carnival today as police claimed there were ‘far fewer’ incidents of serious violence this year despite a 21 per cent increase in arrests.
The Met Police said a total of 423 people were arrested across the two days – 223 on Monday, as well as 200 on Sunday – up from 349 last year, the highest total since 2019.
There were two stabbings at the festival but neither were said to have resulted in life-threatening injuries. Last year, there were two murders and eight stabbings.
Police said 52 of the total arrests took place following the use of facial-recognition cameras that had been deployed to spot wanted individuals.
The arrests included 32 for assaulting police officers, 46 for possession of an offensive weapon, five for robbery and 18 for sexual offences.
‘The event is still in its latter stages and we are not being at all complacent, but we have seen far fewer incidents of serious violence than in recent years,’ the force said this evening.
Today, 177 of the arrests took place at the event itself while 46 took place on the approaches to the event. On Sunday, 149 arrests took place at the carnival and 51 on the approach, according to the Met.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward said: ‘This year we have proactively targeted those who have attempted to come to Carnival to cause harm to others.
A young woman was seen being detained by Met Police officers at Notting Hill Festival today
According to a friend, the woman allegedly threw a glass bottle of alcohol at police
Revellers were spotted holding balloons on the second day of Notting Hill Carnival – the world’s second biggest street celebration after Rio Carnival in Brazil
More than one million people hit the streets of the west London district as Adults Day commenced earlier this morning
Many participants wore eccentric and flamboyant outfits as thousands of revellers lined the streets
‘We have used live facial recognition, knife arches and our stop and search powers to identify and arrest more than 400 suspects.
‘These arrests have prevented some of the serious violence we have seen at previous Carnivals.’
It came after police were described as arresting people ‘left, right and centre’ as they sought to stamp out criminality in the crowd today.
A young woman was apprehended by at least 13 officers shouting ‘get off’ and ‘get off me’, after smashing a glass bottle of alcohol at police, her friend claimed.
‘I’m already on bail. I can’t do anything. I don’t really care,’ Her friend, a man in his 20s, said. ‘She threw a bottle of cider at a police officer.’
‘The atmosphere has turned. It’s all kicking off,’ a reveller said. ‘They’re arresting people left, right and centre.’
Another young man was taken away by a number of officers, saying: ‘I have a medical card. I am being forcibly arrested by the police. I have a medical card.’
Viral social media footage captured some of the uglier scenes from the first day of the event, known as ‘Family Day’, as two women brawled in the middle of a packed street, surrounded by horrified onlookers.
But, in a departure from the carnival’s grim recent history, there were no stabbings on Sunday, after police set up knife arches in a desperate effort to curb the bloodshed.
By contrast, there were three stabbings on Sunday last year.
A young man is stopped and searched by the Met Police at Notting Hill Carnival earlier today
Police officers make an arrest during the Notting Hill Carnival in London earlier this afternoon
Another young man is pictured surrounded by police on the second day of the carnival
A sea of colourful costumes, floats, dancing and music flooded the streets in celebration of Caribbean culture
Carnival revellers danced to the music playing at today’s adult’s parade as hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets
Another woman strikes a pose as she flaunts her multi-coloured, flashy carnival attire
Dancers performing as a part of the carnival paying respect to the Windrush generation
HMT Empire Windrush docked in Tilbury, Essex, in 1948, bringing hundreds of passengers from the Caribbean to the UK
Most passengers onboard gave their last residence as somewhere in the Caribbean and played a vital role in helping build post-war Britain
Around one million people were expected to attend the celebration of Afro-Caribbean culture across both days, requiring 7,000 officers to police the crowds.
Often described as Europe’s biggest street festival, it attracts throngs of revellers in brightly coloured festival costumes and features parades, steel bands and thumping sound systems.
Organisers were almost forced to cancel this year’s event, however, after the shocking scenes of violence in recent years left a £1million funding shortfall due to sponsorship drying up.
The Met Police sought to catch troublemakers early by deploying live facial recognition technology and identified a ‘watchlist’ of more than 16,000 individuals of interest.
They included people wanted by the courts or being sought for alleged criminal activity that would merit jail time of ‘a year or more’.
Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, made no mention of the trouble over the weekend, saying in his only social media post about the carnival: ‘The streets were alive with music and joy, showing the best of our city and the power of culture to unite us.’
Revellers displayed their bright green outfits during in the carnival parade this afternoon
Young people danced in the streets to celebrate the annual carnival which sees west London transformed into a sea of bright colours and music
Groups included Bajan Raw Licquer, Mahogany, Chocolate Nation, Mas Africa, Vincy Alliance and United Kreyol, which reflect traditions from Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, St Lucia, Grenada, Jamaica, Dominica and Haiti
The streets turned into a concoction of colourful outfits, paired with feathers and jewels
A police officer watched on as he walked during the Notting Hill Carnival today in west London
Participants perform during the Notting Hill Carnival adult’s parade in London today
Bands and floats representing the Caribbean, African and Brazilian diaspora paraded through west London as the carnival entered its second day.
Thousands of people lined the route in warm conditions, with temperatures reaching 26C.
Groups included Bajan Raw Licquer, Mahogany, Chocolate Nation, Mas Africa, Vincy Alliance and United Kreyol, which reflect traditions from Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, St Lucia, Grenada, Jamaica, Dominica and Haiti.
Brazilian performers from Paraiso Samba School, Batala and Dende Nation added to the line-up, alongside long-established UK community bands.
Maria James, 34, said: ‘It feels like a piece of the Caribbean right here in London.’
James Lewis, 41, who travelled from Birmingham, said: ‘It’s amazing to see so many cultures coming together.’
Earlier today, Kensington and Chelsea Council said an estimated 150 tonnes of rubbish was cleared after the first day of festivities.
Council workers and volunteers are set to work into the night to clean-up and prepare the area for normal business tomorrow morning.
The largest street party in Europe officially began on Sunday morning with dancers in bright costumes parading along the streets
Dating back to 1966, Notting Hill Carnival takes over the west London district for one weekend a year, transforming it into a colourful celebration of Caribbean culture
Many flamboyant outfits were on display as the west London celebration continued into its second night
The festival sees the streets transformed into a celebration of Caribbean culture and history, with the streets flooded with costumes, dancing and music
Dating back to 1966, Notting Hill Carnival takes over the west London district for one weekend a year, transforming it into a colourful celebration of Caribbean culture.
The festival began at 6am with festival-goers gathering for J’Ouvert celebrations, which means ‘daybreak’ in French Creole.
Attendees paraded through the streets and sprayed brightly-coloured paints and powders to get into the carnival spirit.
Three men splattered in paint were even spotted dancing on top of a bus stop outside Ladbroke Grove station, near Portobello Road Market, as celebrations got off to a very early start.
Hundreds gathered under a bridge where they danced and launched paint into the air as Europe’s biggest street party got underway in flamboyant style on Sunday.
One participant holds up a sign which reads: ‘Thank you Notting Hill Carnival’ as they walk through the parade
One carnival attendee wearing a green and yellow bikini and matching headband smiles as she enjoys the music
Thousands of people lined the route in sunny weather, with temperatures soaring to 26C
Brazilian performers from Paraiso Samba School, Batala and Dende Nation added to the line-up this weekend, alongside long-established UK community bands
Revellers of Notting Hill Carnival paraded the streets in glamorous and eccentric outfits alongside colourful floats to celebrate the annual Caribbean festival
The largest street party in Europe officially begun on Sunday morning with dancers in bright costumes parading along the streets
A reveller in elaborate and colourful peackock-style costume takes part in the Notting Hill Carnival
Revellers take part in the Notting Hill Carnival on August 25, 2025 in London, England
A person attends the event in an orange, pink, green and blue costume on Monday afternoon
Some were dressed in blue overalls to protect their clothes from the paint, while others wore their most colourful outfits or took part in a tradition from the Caribbean island of Grenada called Jab-Jab.
This is where they cover their bodies in black oil, tar, mud or paint, wear horns and drag chains in a satirical celebration to recognise the detrimental impact of British colonialism and the slave trade upon Caribbean nations.
The main carnival parade route stretches across three miles of west London streets, passing by Ladbroke Grove, Great Western Road, and Westbourne Park, with party-goers enjoying dazzling parades boasting flags from across the Caribbean.
Yesterday a 72-second silence was held in remembrance of the Grenfell Tower fire victims, which was repeated again at 3pm today.
