Notting Hill Carnival 2014: Where to watch the parade and hear the soundsystems
The weather may have turned a little chilly, but Notting Hill Carnival will bring some welcome brightness to London over the Bank Holiday weekend.
The parade kicks off at 10am Sunday and Monday on Great Western Road, but for those who aren't much of an early riser, don’t worry- there’s plenty of time to catch a glimpse throughout the day, but be warned, it’s going to get crowded.
If you want to grab a good spot however, the parade will make its way down Chepstow Road, Westbourne Grove and Ladbroke Grove from Great Western Road, so stake your claim to the pavements here.
The roads within the square of the carnival route will be play host to the music sound systems and legions of people dancing the night away. Well, early afternoon and evening- there’s a strict 7pm curfew on noise as it can get pretty loud.
And make sure you take a brolly and a pair of sunglasses. While Sunday will be dry, sunny, but a little cloudy, it will literally rain on your parade on Monday according to the Met office.
How to get there
Here's what's happening at the nearest stations.
Notting Hill Gate: exit only between 11am and 7pn Sunday and all of Monday, with not Circle and District Line trains stopping. You won’t be able to change trains to another line here either on Monday.
Ladbroke Grove: Closed Sunday and Monday
Queensway: exit only between 11am and 7pm Sunday and Monday
Royal Oak: exit only between 11am and 6pm on sunday and Monday and closed from 11.30pm onwards on both days.
Westbourne Park: the same closures as Royal Oak, above.
All other stations are not affected but may be subject to other travel disruptions or closures from weekend engineering works of course.
TFL also warns overcrowding can cause temporary closures.
No buses will run in the traffic exclusion zone, outlined below, from Sunday morning to Tuesday morning, and there will be disruption on the routes nearby.
Where to watch
Map provided by London Notting Hill Carnival