Performers hit west London for main parade

The party atmosphere took hold of west London again as the main parade of the Notting Hill Carnival took place on its second day.

Colourful costumes, dancing and music filled the streets of west London for Europe’s biggest street party’s children’s day on Sunday, and the spectacle continued throughout Monday.

The carnival, which celebrates Caribbean culture and history, has been running for more than 50 years.

Carnival-goer Jeff Sam, 74, said: “We are here to enjoy ourselves and we know it’s going to be a fantastic day, something you have never dreamed in your life.

“You’re going to see Brazilian bands, you’re going to see Caribbean bands, you’re going to see bands from all over the world coming and performing in beautiful costumes.”

Thousands of people lined the carnival route in the sunshine, with temperatures reaching 26C (79F) on Monday.

Performing groups included Bajan Raw Licquer, Mahogany, Chocolate Nation, Mas Africa, Vincy Alliance and United Kreyol, which reflect traditions from Trinidad and 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.

One performer, Lauren, estimated that her costume contained about 500 jewels.

Her sister made her outfit, while she made the tiara, Lauren explained.

“The tiaras take about two hours each,” she told BBC London.

“They start off just as wire and we wrap them with fabric and then we add the gems on.”

James Lewis, 41, who travelled to the event from Birmingham, said: “It’s amazing to see so many cultures coming together.”

Another visitor, Maria James, 34, added: “It feels like a piece of the Caribbean right here in London.”

Matt Vernon, from Beat Carnival in Belfast, said his group would be performing with puppets to commemorate Sonny Blacks, “a key member of Notting Hill Carnival in the early days”.

“We built them very quickly, but very professionally in the last two weeks,” he said.

“We leapt to the challenge and were very honoured to be asked to create these things.”

He said the puppets took “a lot of core muscles and good vibes” to show at Carnival.

Derillio Alexander, 33, who is based in Amsterdam, said he was performing at Carnival with Ebony Steel Band.

“It’s gonna be a big party,” he said. “We’re gonna bust the place. It’s always a pleasure to be here and we’re gonna do our thing.”

More than a million people were expected to attend the festivities during the day.

Carnival chair Ian Comfort said this year’s event had so far been “spectacular and safe”.

On Monday evening, the Met Police said a total of 423 arrests had taken place during the two days of Carnival, but it had seen “far fewer incidents of serious violence than in recent years”.

There were two stabbings – one in Powis Terrace and one in Oxford Gardens – neither of which resulted in life-threatening injuries. Last year, eight people were stabbed during the Carnival.

Comfort warned that funding was vital to keep it going every year, after writing to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy in June to request government support.

“It’s important that bands get funding because if bands don’t get funding, you don’t get the costumes, you don’t get a parade,” he said.

“Without funding we couldn’t make it safe and we’ve invested a lot of money this year in improving safety in terms of both the staffing and also the technological infrastructure for the Carnival.”

Mr Comfort added that more people needed to find out about the event’s history.

“People need to look at why it was set up… Carnival brings people together. It’s important it continues to bring people together as a show of unity,” he said.

“If Carnival is a success, it’s because everyone embraced it. It doesn’t matter who they are, come and enjoy yourself.”

Following the Adult’s Parade, Carnival continued with sound systems and live stages of music in Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance Park and Powis Square.

All major music and sound systems were switched off at 15:00 for a 72-second silence to commemorate the 72 lives lost in the Grenfell Tower fire, as well as those who have died at Carnival in recent years and Kelso Cochrane whose murder in 1959 became one of the catalysts for the event.

On Monday morning, Kensington and Chelsea Council said an estimated 150 tonnes of rubbish was cleared after Sunday’s festivities.

The council expects 300 tonnes to be collected over the weekend, with 180 staff and 45 vehicles working overnight.

The clean-up will continue on Monday night to prepare the area for normal business on Tuesday morning.