Back to blog London’s biggest summer street party, the Notting Hill Carnival, is almost here. The Carnival originates back to the 60s, starting out as a party for local children accompanied by the sounds of a steel drum band. 50 years later and the Notting Hill Carnival is one of London’s most exciting and colourful events. notting-hill-carnival-women The Carnival starts on 26 August from 6pm. Here’s a quick run down of what you can expect to see: 26 August – Open air evening with live music and entertainment. 27 August – Family Day and Children’s Parade. 28 August – Monday Parade and Grand Finale.   TfL (Transport for London) has made a map especially for the Carnival. The blue line shows the route of the parade itself. There are even yellow markings for ideal observation spots.

tfl-notting-hill-carnival-map

Changes to the London Underground during the Notting Hill Carnival

Stations near to the Notting Hill Carnival may temporarily close to prevent overcrowding. There will also be stations fully closed for the duration of the event or they will become exit only. These are the Tube station changes you need to be aware of for 27 August and 28 August: Holland Park: Exit only after 19:00 Ladbroke Grove: Closed Latimer Road: Closed after 23:30 Notting Hill Gate: Exit only between 11:00 and 19:00. Circle and District line trains will pass through without stopping. Westbourne Park: Exit only between 11:00 and 18:00. Closed after 23:30 Royal Oak: Exit only after 11:00. Closed after 18:00.   These Tube stations are nearby but are expected to be busier than normal: Bayswater Paddington High Street Kensington Kensal Green Queen’s Park Queensway Royal Oak Shepherd’s Bush You can double check the status of a single station in Tube Map. To do this, tap on a station or search for it by name in the search bar. Once the station is selected, go to “Status & Departure Boards” and then tap on the arrow next to “Status”. tube-map-station-status TfL has also thought about the consequences of busy stations on the ability for people to touch out with their Oyster or contactless card. They have said the following:
“If a station is particularly busy, you may not be able to touch out. When this happens, we’ll aim to automatically correct your fare. Where possible, we’ll send any refund to the station you use most, for it to be loaded on your card when you next touch in or out.” – TfL. For refund information go here.
 

Changes to London Buses during the Notting Hill Carnival

There will be several road closures during Notting Hill Carnival, which means London buses will either terminate early or be diverted. The bus routes that will be affected are: 7, 16, 18, 23, 27, 28, 31, 46, 52, 70, 94, 98, 148, 220, 228, 295, 316, 328, 332, 414, 452, N7, N16, N18, N28, N31, N98 and N207. Extra buses will run on routes 2, 205 and 436. Be aware that these may be marked as 2X, 205X or 436X. Buses that are running in the area are expected to be extra busy which may cause some delays. We definitely recommend checking the live times in Bus Times London so you can stay in-the-know.  

Changes to Santander Cycles during the Notting Hill Carnival

From 21:00 on the Saturday to 07:00 on the following Tuesday, these docking stations will be suspended.
  • All Saints Road
  • All Saints Church Portobello
  • Blenheim Crescent
  • Chepstow Villas
  • Gloucester Terrace
  • Hereford Road
  • Lansdowne Walk
  • Ladbroke Grove Central
  • Notting Hill Gate Station
  • Pembridge Villas
  • St Marks Road
  • Turquoise Island
  • Westbourne Park Road
  If you’re planning a visit to the Notting Hill Carnival we hope you have a fantastic time. If you’re interested in learning more about the Carnival and it’s history, visit the official website.   Notting Hill Carnival photo by S Pakhrin on Flickr. Back to blog