Notting Hill Carnival: 169 arrests but police praise 'positive and celebratory' mood
Police made 169 arrests on the first day of Notting Hill Carnival but described the atmosphere as overwhelmingly positive and celebratory, with the Metropolitan Police saying the event's mood has been "overwhelmingly positive and celebratory" despite the number of arrests.
The arrests, as of 45pm on Sunday, were for offences including possession of drugs, possession of weapons, assaults (including assaults on emergency workers) and sexual offences, the Metropolitan Police said. The force said the majority of arrests took place within the event perimeter, with 27 on the approaches outside.
Officers responded to two knife assaults, a slashing to the leg and one to the hand, neither of which resulted in life-changing or threatening injuries, according to police.
Commander Claire Smart, who is in charge of the policing operation, said: "We have been working closely with Notting Hill Carnival Ltd and other partners for many months ahead of this weekend's event. The organisers have stepped forward significantly across the event, including crowd management, and we have seen the positive progress today."
"While we have seen a significant number of arrests and interventions by officers, the result of that proactive approach is a welcome reduction in the levels of serious violence seen at the event in previous years," she added. "Nobody involved in the delivery of the event is complacent, however. There are still many officers deployed across the footprint to ensure crowds disperse safely."
Earlier this week, the force said more than 7,000 officers would be deployed to west London over the bank holiday weekend.
The annual west London carnival is Europe's biggest street party and billed by organisers as "the greatest community-led event on the planet." This year's event marks 60 years since the carnival's inception, which was originally born out of resistance to racial injustice.
The first day saw Saturday's Steel Band Competition, while Sunday began with the J'ouvert opening celebration at Ladbroke Grove followed by the Children's Day and Dutty Mas parade. Revellers danced around more than 50 sound systems in W10, and sounds of calypso, samba reggae and soca continued until 7pm. Festivities continue on Monday with the adult's day parade.
A planned 72-second silence in memory of the victims of Grenfell didn't go to plan as one float accidentally forgot to turn off its music as it passed the North Kensington Fire station at 3pm. Firefighters were seen shaking their heads in disbelief as the float passed, and the MC eventually noticed and issued an apology to the crowd.
In 2024, there were eight stabbings at Notting Hill Carnival, including the murder of 32-year-old mother Cher Maximen. In 2025, the Met said it made 528 arrests across the two main days of the carnival, including 167 for drug offences, 50 for possession of an offensive weapon, 21 for sexual offences, four for violence with injury and 49 for other violence.