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Notting Hill Carnival, one of London’s mightiest cultural celebrations, is returning for its 2024 edition this weekend. With festivities spread across Saturday (August 24), Sunday (August 25) and Monday (August 26), expect a dazzling, all-senses feast of music and dancing.
Carnival’s parades, floats, soundsystems, steel bands and street stalls are a legendary fixture in London’s summer calendar, attracting a massive two-and-a-half million people each year. This year will be no different, with the parades on Sunday and Monday as usual attracting the biggest crowds.
With that many people all descending on one area of west London, needless to say tube and bus routes won’t be operating as normal. Here’s everything you need to know about getting to Carnival by tube, train, bus and cycle hire.
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Tube stations
Nearby stations open for the entirety of Carnival are Paddington (Bakerloo, Hammersmith & City, District and Circle lines, plus Elizabeth line) and Shepherd’s Bush (Central line and Overground).
Stations partially closed on Sunday and Monday include:
- Westbourne Park (Central and Hammersmith & City): closed from 11am.
- Latimer Road (Central and Hammersmith & City): closing at 11.30pm.
- Notting Hill Gate (Central, Circle and District): 11am-6pm no entry, Circle/District lines won’t stop, no interchange between Central and Circle and District lines.
- Holland Park (Central): 11am-3pm no entry.
- Royal Oak (Circle and Hammersmith & City): 11am-6pm no entry, closes at 6pm.
Ladbroke Grove (Circle and Hammersmith & City) will be closed all day on both days.
Bus routes
TfL is putting on two special bus routes for Carnival. The 12X and 36X will run between south London and the Carnival on both Sunday and Monday.
Numerous other bus routes will run close to the Carnival but be affected by road closures. Those are:7, 12, 18, 23, 27, 28, 31, 36, 52, 70, 94, 148, 295,316 and 328.
Additionally, TfL says that these bus routes all operate within ‘comfortable’ walking distance of Carnival: 6, 15, 187, 205, 220, 274, 436, 705.
There will also be night bus routes running through Sunday and Monday night: N7, 12, N18, 23, 27, N28, N31, N36, N52, 94, 148 & N207.
Travel disruption
Aside from the tube and bus changes outlined above, there are also a large number of road closures to watch out for. You can see a full list of those here.
On top of that, Carnival organisers say that Santander Cycle stations (and all other cycle hire providers) will be suspended in the area. These won’t work from the afternoon of Saturday August 24 until midday on Tuesday August 27.
Parade details
While the traditional J’Ouvert has been called off for 2024, the rest of Notting Hill Carnival’s festivities will continue as usual. The Sunday and Monday parades will both start at around 10am and all wrap up by 7pm.
You can find all the details about the parade route here and the stages, performers and soundsystems here.
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