Notting Hill Carnival kicks off this weekend with the vibrant London street party running from Sunday until Monday, August 31.
Like previous years, two parades are planned for the bank holiday weekend. The Children’s Day Parade on Sunday will start at 10:30am, and the Adults’ Parade will begin at the same time on Monday.
Naturally, there’ll be some travel disruption affecting those trying to reach the carnival, residents who call the area home, and Londoners trying to get around the city.
It’s not just public transport affected, either, as a number of roads will be closed to make way for the parade.
Here’s a full guide to Notting Hill Carnival, including its schedule, the parade route, road closures, Tube disruption, and bus diversions.
What is the Notting Hill Carnival parade route?
The two parades will take participants clockwise across Westbourne Grove, Ladbroke Grove, Kensal Road, Elkstone Road, Great Western Road, and Chepstow Road.
Due to the parade and festivities, extensive road closures will be in place in west London and around the Carnival area from 6am on Sunday, August 30, until 6am on Tuesday, September 1.
Between 10am and 10pm on Sunday and Monday, the A402 Notting Hill Gate will be closed between Campden Hill Road and Kensington Church Street/Palace Gardens Terrace for all traffic except buses.
You can check the map above to view all road closures in the area, as well as the parade route.
What's the schedule for Notting Hill Carnival 2026?
The Notting Hill Carnival is split across two main days: the Family Day and the Adults’ Day. However, a Panorama event is always held before the two main Carnival days, which includes competitions and orchestras.
The Sunday of the Carnival is always Family Day. It’s family-friendly, and includes a children’s parade as well as plenty of other events:
- 6am to 9am: J’ouvert (Pre-dawn celebration)
- 10am to 10:30am: Official Opening Ceremony
- Midday to 7pm: Live performances at the Powis Square Stage
The Monday on the weekend is the main event, with lots of performances, music, and gorgeous costumes.
- Midday to 7pm: Live performances at the Powis Square Stage
As a reminder, both days are completely free for you to attend. The only tickets you need to buy are for the Panorama event on the Saturday night.
Are there Tube restrictions in place?
Transport for London (TfL) has warned of several closures and amendments to Tube stations across central and west London.
Entry into Oxford Circus station will be restricted at times for safety, and most stations within the Carnival area will either be exit only or use one-way systems.
Some stations may also close for short periods of time to manage crowding, so don’t be shocked if you’re told to queue outside a station.
The Tube is expected to be busy on Carnival days, particularly on the Central line that runs through central London as well as the Carnival area.
The following Tube stations will also be closed or heavily restricted on both days over the bank holiday weekend:
- : Closed all day.
- : Closes at 11pm and may close during busy periods.
- : No entry between 11am and 6pm. The District and Circle lines will not stop, and there will be no interchange between the Central and District and Circle lines.
- : No entry from 11am.
- : No entry after 11am and the station closes at 3pm.
- : No entry between 11am and 6pm.
- : No entry after 11am and the station closes at 6pm.
- : No ticket issuing facilities and no ‘down’ escalator after 4pm.
- : Queues outside the station are expected.
- : Chamberlayne Road entrance closes at 6pm, and a queuing system will begin outside Station Terrace entrance.
TfL advises anyone attending the Carnival to walk from Paddington, Kensal Rise or Shepherd’s Bush stations.
TfL said: ‘For the easiest and least crowded journey, take the Tube or Elizabeth line to Paddington Station. Notting Hill Carnival is a short walk away. Follow the signed route to and from the carnival.’
What about bus routes?
It’s not just the Tube that is affected this weekend – buses will be, too.
Both day and night buses will be diverted away from the Carnival area. To the north, buses will start from the Prince of Wales pub on Harrow Road, while buses to the south will start from Notting Hill Gate.
According to TfL, affected bus routes include:
- Day buses: 7, 18, 23, 27, 28, 31, 36, 52, 70, 228, 295, 302, 316, 328
- Night buses: N7, N27, N28, N31
There will be special limited-stop bus services put on for Carnival weekend, and they include:
- 148X to Victoria and Vauxhall: Runs between Notting Hill Gate and Victoria between 10am and 5pm, and then Notting Hill Gate and Vauxhall until 10pm.
- 7X to East Acton: Runs between Oxford Circus and Paddington and Du Cane Road and East Acton.
- 36X to Harrow Road: Runs between Peckham and Harrow Road in one direction only.
- 18X to Stonebridge Park: Runs between Warren Street and Stonebridge Park between midday and 10pm.
- 23X to Victoria: Runs between Harrow Road, Prince of Wales, and Victoria for four trips on Monday afternoon only.
You can also expect diversions or route changes on a number of London buses.
Check the TfL website or relevant operator for more information on your chosen bus route.
Are there any other travel disruptions in London this weekend?
Unrelated to the changes made for the Carnival, there is also some planned engineering work across the Tube network for the bank holiday weekend.
On both Sunday and Monday, the following Tube lines will be affected:
- : Part closure between Shadwell and Tower Gateway
- Northern line: Part closure between Camden Town and High Barnet and Mill Hill East.
- : Entire line is closed
- : Part closure between East Croydon and Church Street and Reeves Corner, and between Arena and Elmers End
On the National Rail side, there will be no LNER trains between London King’s Cross and Peterborough due to signalling upgrades on Sunday.
There will also be no morning Southern trains between Clapham Junction and Shepherd’s Bush, and buses are replacing trains between London Bridge and Tulse Hill via Peckham over the weekend.
East Midlands Rail (EMR) also warned passengers of disruption as members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union walk out over the weekend.
The train operator will run a reduced service between 8am and 7pm on Sunday and Monday and has advised customers to only travel if their journey is ‘absolutely essential’.
On Monday, many rail lines will also be operating an amended Bank Holiday service.
As always, it’s recommended that you check your route before travelling to avoid delays.
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