Notting Hill Carnival to go ahead after funding boost

After receiving funding of just under £1m, London’s annual Notting Hill Carnival will go ahead as planned on 24th - 25th August 2025.

The Carnival’s 2025 edition was under threat following an independent review of the event, which recommended changes to make the event safe. 

City Hall, the Royal Borough of Kensington, and Chelsea and City of Westminster have raised funds of £958,000 to put the extra recommended safety and infrastructure measures in place.

In June, Carnival’s chair, Ian Comfort, appealed to the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, saying the event could be in jeopardy without "urgent funding" following the independent review of the event, which identified "critical public safety concerns" that required additional funding to address.

In a statement, Comfort said, “Although this support comes just weeks before the event, it is a much-needed and welcome commitment.”

It continued, “Notting Hill Carnival is one of the UK’s most significant cultural celebrations, attracting up to two million attendees annually and honouring Caribbean heritage through music, costume, performance, and design.” 

Image: Notting Hill Carnival / Facebook.com

Despite this funding, Comfort says “a major gap remains”, with the future of Carnival remaining uncertain: “The essential operational funding required to ensure participants can perform and engage safely has historically not been provided directly by either Arts Council England or central government. This is despite Carnival’s significant cultural importance and its substantial contribution to the UK economy.”

Notting Hill Carnival, running over the August bank holiday, will offer mas (masquerade) bands, steel bands, Brazilian bands, sound systems, live music stages, and food and drink.

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