My son was 18 months old when he went to Notting Hill Carnival for the first time.
It’s no exaggeration to say he had the time of his life, and my husband and I have taken him every year since. Carnival is now a tradition, a summer version of Christmas, where food, family and a tonne of joy are the main threads. Every year on Family Day, which always takes place on August Bank Holiday Sunday, we cover ourselves in glitter, put on our most colourful clothes, and make the pilgrimage from South East London where we live to deepest Notting Hill. There, we meet my brother and his girlfriend, and usually a few honorary family members, and we dance through the streets of West London. We watch the Carnival parade for an hour or so, as dancers sashay down the streets, their rhinestones glinting as they jiggle. Plumes of feathers rise like crowns above the crowds. People sit on pavements, walls and railings, steps and ramps.
After that, we usually head to a sound system that we like, which we use as our base. There is more dancing, and, at some point, two designated members of our crew will do a food run. My son, who usually exists solely on sausages and beans, ate jerk chicken for the first time last year. We thought plantain might be more up his street, but no, only slow-cooked spiced chicken would do. We eat on the edge of pavements with Lenny usually sat on someone’s lap. One of my favourite pictures of him is at Carnival, holding the hand of his uncle and in the other he’s brandishing a fork like a sword. He is beaming. There’s another where he is giggling uncontrollably with the parade buzzing in the background.
Of course there’s the noise of it, which spans not only the thumping sound systems which stand on street corners, but also the music that spills out of the parade floats. Calypso, reggae, dub, dancehall and soca. Sometimes the music drops, and the whole street collectively sings. There’s the sizzling of jerk chicken and clanging of jerk pans. The feet tapping of grannies chattering on the side of roads, the shuffling of the crowds as they wind their way round the streets. Whistles and horns sound out into the air. Feathers rustle. Flags whoosh. Cans of Red Stripe crack and hiss open, and giant jugs of rum punch glug their way into paper cups. This is a controversial statement, but Lenny doesn’t wear ear phones. He hates them, so we just don’t get too close to the sound systems. Perhaps this will feel too relaxed for some, but I trust my kid to tell me if something is too noisy.
I often receive raised eye brows when I tell people we love taking Lenny to Carnival. “Is it safe?” Is the most common response. Carnival is defined by its violence in a way that no other major UK event is. It would be remiss and irresponsible of me not to acknowledge the crime that happens there every year. Given the scale of attendees (around two million per annum), the event takes place across a very concentrated space, which has historically made it enticing to gangs who want to commit crime before getting lost in the crowd. In 2025, 528 arrests were made and eight were injured. This means only 0.0264% of two million Carnival attendees were arrested and 0.0004% were injured. In comparison, the Men’s Euros 2020 final – the last major sporting event to be held in the UK – led to 51 or 0.076% of arrests among the 68,000 attendees. I’ll let you make your own minds about how dangerous that makes Carnival. The crime needs to be – and is – taken seriously, but it is worth reflecting on why we focus on the violence there more than we do with any other high-profile public event in this country.
Nothing makes me prouder to be a Londoner than Carnival. I have attended most years for the past 16. We have danced in the sunshine, but also in the rain – and it gives me goosebumps just thinking about the rainbows that rise over the vast crowds on Ladbroke Grove. Carnival is an Afro-Caribbean celebration, but there is something resolutely British about seeing Jamaican grandpas sitting on chairs next to each other on the pavement with a Red Stripe in one hand and an umbrella strapped to the back. Yes, Carnival is a street party of herculean proportions, but it is also a deafeningly loud statement of Black resilience and community. No other city in the world does diversity like London. It should be part of our mythology and treated with the same level of national pride that the World Cup is. I am so glad I can show my son a literal manifestation of what multiculturalism looks like – the unapologetic, saturated joy of it all. It’s one thing telling our kids about the importance of diversity, and another to drench them in its goodness. There are other learnings I hope he absorbs; Carnival is also about being yourself. Its parade is filled with every age, shape and size – everyone being their truest selves. It is about acceptance and freedom. Look, it isn’t for everyone; if you or any of your children hate crowds, Carnival is one to sit out. Anyone sensitive to noise won’t enjoy it, but please don’t let safety be the reason you decide not to go with your family.
We take our son to Carnival because his dad and I have always loved it, and I think it’s very good for children to see their parents having a good time. We model and teach so much of the hard stuff for and to our kids – how to share, how to be kind, how to say please and thank you and how to work hard. It’s also from us that they learn how to have fun; the value in letting your hair down, how to run at the things that make us happy, and to appreciate the hell out of them. I hope Lenny grows up knowing that, while life can be hard, sometimes it’s best to cover yourself in glitter and dance on the streets until your feet hurt.
7 Tips For Taking Children To Notting Hill Carnival
Choose Family Day
Notting Hill Carnival takes place over two days across the August Bank Holiday weekend. Family Day always happens on the Sunday, when a kids’ parade kicks off at 10am on Great Western Road, finishing at 5pm. The official carnival begins even earlier at 6am with J’Ouvert, where participants cover each other in paint, powder and chocolate, soundtracked by steel bands. Although Family Day is still vibrant and lively, it’s more relaxed than the Bank Holiday Monday celebrations which tends to attract the hard-partying crowd.
Trainers Are A Good Idea
Carnival is a lot of walking around and dancing, so wear comfortable shoes and make sure the kids do too. It also helps to avoid bits of glass or food dropped on the streets.
Pack Lunch For Fussy Eaters
Despite Lenny’s foray into jerk chicken last year, we will be packing a ham sandwich, apples and pom-bears just in case lightning doesn’t strike twice.
Bring A Potty
If you have under fives, it’s much easier to bring a portable potty than rely on the toilets. Locals often open up their homes and charge revellers to use their bathroom. The queues can be long and, if you’d rather avoid payment, pack the portable potty in your backpack.
Consider Staying In One Place
Pre-kids, my friends and I used to follow the procession all day. Now we watch an hour of the parade from the same spot, and find a sound system to base ourselves at. This stops anyone from getting lost and is much less stressful.
Bring A Buggy Or Sling
We were advised against bringing a buggy, but tried it anyway last year and it was a success. I imagine this only works if you don’t plan on getting in and amongst the more crowded sound system stands. Carnival is a lot for little legs, so it gave Lenny a chance to chill out – and when he wasn’t using it, the adults in our party treated it like a portable deck chair themselves.
Take A Carnival Kit
This is what I pack – wet wipes, hand sanitiser, sun cream, an umbrella, a change of clothes, a packed lunch, a bottle of water, plus the potty. It’s also worth bringing cash. Most food and drink vendors accept card, but the smaller ones don’t. If your kids are more tolerant of ear defenders then pack a pair.
Ella Alexander is Citizen Femme’s fashion features editor. She started her career at the Evening Standard, and has since held senior editorial roles at Vogue, The Independent and Harper’s Bazaar, where she remains a contributing editor. She also writes for The Telegraph, Sunday Times Style, Service95 and CNN. She is an author, having co-written Dame Zandra Rhodes’ memoir, Iconic: My Life In Fashion In 50 Objects, published by Transworld in July 2024. Her favourite travel destination is Catania, Sicily’s second city.
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