Fancy a detour from the kaleidoscopic parade floats and trucks of Europe's biggest street party? Plan your party route with the Time Out Notting Hill Carnival soundsystem A-Z
Summer is just around the corner, and in London that means Notting Hill Carnival. As you gear up for one of the capital’s most fun weekends of the year, it’s understandable if you might want to do a little more prep than simply stocking up on Red Stripe and paint powder.
Carnival is an incredible knees-up, but with all its sounds, sights and crowds, it can get a little overwhelming. An estimated 2.5 million punters head to west London for the celebration, so it’s totally normal that you might get turned around, lost or just need a handy reminder of where you're going after several rounds of Wray & Ting.
Never fear! We’ve created the interactive map below, soundsystems and all, to help you navigate your way around the famous west London parade. Check it out.
What is the schedule for Notting Hill Carnival 2025?
Notting Hill Carnival 2025 starts on Sunday, August 24 and continues on Bank Holiday Monday, August 25.
What is the Notting Hill Carnival 2025 parade route?
Sunday is the day of the children’s parade and the adult’s parade takes place on Monday. The route for 2025 is yet to be officially confirmed, but both are likely to begin near Westbourne Park tube station. Last year, the adult parade then moved down to Westbourne Park Road, down Cheapstow Road to Westbourne Grove, turning up Ladbroke. It then looped down Kensal back to the starting point. The whole thing is three miles long in total.
Most of the participating soundsystems have now been announced. Find out where to find them over the weekend with our guide.
What time does the Notting Hill Carnival parade start?
If you want to catch the very start of the parade at Carnival, you’ll need to get down to Notting Hill in the morning. On Sunday, it will likely kick off its route around the area at 10:30am. It’s a later start on Monday, with the parade getting moving at 10:30am, giving you just that little bit more time to recover from the previous day’s festivities.
RECOMMENDED: Read our full Notting Hill Carnival guide.