Police made 169 arrests during the first day of Notting Hill Carnival as thousands of people descended on west London for the 60th anniversary of Europe’s biggest street party.
The Metropolitan Police said that by 7.45pm on Sunday, officers had made arrests for a range of alleged offences, including drug possession, possession of weapons, assaults and sexual offences.
The majority of arrests were made within the Carnival event perimeter.
Police also responded to two knife assaults, including one person who suffered a slash injury to the leg and another who was injured to the hand.
Neither victim suffered injuries considered life-changing or life-threatening.
More than 7,000 officers deployed
More than 7,000 police officers have been deployed across the Bank Holiday weekend as part of the major policing operation surrounding the event.
Commander Claire Smart, who is leading the operation, said organisers had made “significant” improvements to crowd management this year.
She said proactive policing had also contributed to a reduction in serious violence compared with previous Carnivals.
Officers were due to remain on duty overnight before returning for the second day of festivities on Bank Holiday Monday.
Commander Smart said police would continue to “tackle the minority who want to spoil the celebration for the majority.”
Despite the arrests, police described the overall atmosphere during Sunday as “overwhelmingly positive and celebratory.”
Carnival celebrates 60 years
This year’s Notting Hill Carnival marks its 60th anniversary, with Sunday’s Family Day beginning with the traditional J’ouvert celebrations, including paint and powder throwing.
The policing operation comes after 528 arrests were made across the two main days of the 2025 Carnival, including 167 for drug offences and 50 for possession of weapons.
Previous events have also seen serious violence, including the fatal stabbing of 32-year-old Cher Maximen at the 2024 Carnival.
The second and final main day of the 2026 Notting Hill Carnival continues across west London on Bank Holiday Monday.
