The final day of this year’s Notting Hill Carnival saw tens of thousands of revelers turn out, filling the streets of West London with colour, dancing and music.
Dancers showed off their flashy costumes, floats pumped music for crowds along W11 Street, sound systems blasted everything from rare groove to house, samba, reggae and ska, and food stalls cooked up a variety of dishes on open barbecues.
More than a million people were expected to visit over the bank holiday weekend, including Coming of Age Day on Monday, the culmination of the festival, which was founded by London’s Caribbean community in 1966.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan described the carnival as “a very part of our city and a fantastic way to bring our communities together,” in a post on X. Organizers have dubbed it “the greatest community-led event on earth.”
But as with every year, the festival has been hit by violent crime: five people were stabbed on Monday and three more were stabbed on Sunday, including a 32-year-old woman who was attending with her children, according to the Metropolitan police.
Police said both victims were in life-threatening condition, while the woman who was stabbed Sunday remains in life-threatening condition, while a 29-year-old man remains in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and a second victim, a 24-year-old man, has been released from hospital.
Police said some incidents involved corrosive substances.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Ade Adelekan, who is in charge of security for the historic event, on Sunday condemned the scenes.
“Yesterday, our opening day was marred by unacceptable violence. Three people were stabbed and only a few people were killed,” Adelekan said.
“This day was supposed to be ‘family day’ – a celebration suitable for all ages. I’m tired of repeating the same words every year. I’m tired of telling families that their loved ones have been seriously injured or worse. I’m tired of seeing crime scenes at Carnival. Carnival is a community event and the vast majority of people come to celebrate, dance, enjoy the music and have an amazing experience.”
On Monday, some protesters passed through a “knife arch” equipped with metal detectors upon arrival. Police helicopters circled overhead throughout the day. Scotland Yard said 230 people were arrested on Monday, including 49 for possession of offensive weapons. Three firearms were seized and 35 police officers were injured.
In an operational briefing published ahead of this year’s celebrations, the Metropolitan police described Carnival as “one of London’s cultural events” that carries significant challenges for police because “it is used by a minority of individuals as an opportunity to commit crime”.
A section 60 order, giving police officers additional search powers, will be in effect in the carnival area until 2am on Tuesday. A section 60AA order also remains in effect, giving police officers the power to order the removal of face coverings that are being used to conceal a person’s identity.
The Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers in the Metropolitan police force, said in a post on X that the attack was “sadly predictable”. Adelekan said he believed people had a moral obligation to speak out about the violence.
“It is the responsibility of everyone who cares about this event, who wants to see it as the festive event it should be, to speak out about the violence that continues to shroud this event. Whether it’s information about a past incident that is currently under investigation or information about someone who came to Carnival today to commit a crime, please tell us,” he said.
Unfortunately, violent crime is not uncommon at Carnival.
A freedom of information request released by the Metropolitan police details the number of stabbings (fatal and non-fatal) between 2017 and 2023. There were 10 stabbings last year, none of which were fatal. The peak year for stabbings was 2019, with 18 incidents. The lowest number of stabbings was in 2018 and 2022, with seven incidents.
All of the stabbing incidents that occurred during this period, except for one in 2022, were non-fatal.
