Notting Hill Carnival began its main two-day programme on Sunday, with revellers in west London kicking off proceedings at dawn with J'Ouvert, a traditional street celebration involving neon and black body paint, smoke flares and Jab Jab costumes symbolising freedom from slavery. The event, marking its 60th anniversary since starting in 1966, is one of the largest street festivals in Europe and matters this year for the scale of the policing and security response mounted around it after crime and arrest numbers rose in recent years.

An estimated two million people are expected to attend, with around 7,000 Metropolitan Police officers and staff on duty alongside more than 3,000 stewards, double the usual number, after crowd control responsibilities shifted from Scotland Yard to organisers following a £4.66 million grant from Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan. A facial recognition van has also been deployed, and at least one man was pictured being detained by police. Susan Hall of the London Assembly's Conservative group voiced continued concern over safety, urging the Mayor to address security risks before further injuries or deaths occur, while forecasters predict a mix of sunshine and showers on Sunday and drier, brighter conditions for Monday.