Notting Hill braced for biggest carnival

More than two million people are expected to attend the street festival on Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday, making it the most popular in its 43-year history.

Last August 1.3 million people attended, sending out a defiant message that the capital was resolute in the face of the previous month's terror attacks.

The theme of this year's carnival - Europe's biggest street festival and second in size only to the Rio carnival - is "aspiration and achievement in unity". Sunday is children's day with the main parade and party on Monday.

Chris Mullard, Notting Hill Carnival chairman, said: "We are expecting our biggest carnival ever if the good weather we've been having extends to this weekend.

"The carnival is a great success story, not just for the Afro-Caribbean community who make it happen but for all of us in London who subscribe to a multicultural-society that is musically and culturally important. It's all about making the capital a vibrant, metropolitan world centre."

The carnival is estimated to boost the local economy by about £93million.

As well as the music from 40 sound systems, a range of non-official events occur in the surrounding areas of Notting Hill to coincide with the event.

This year they include singer Lily Allen headlining a party called Yo Yo Carnival at the Notting Hill Arts Centre on Monday.

Allen said: "I was born in Shepherd's Bush and I've been going [to the carnival] since I was a kid."

Ricki Belgrave, chairman of the executive committee for carnival arts, said: "I'm excited about carnival every year - it was sprung by the community and it's run by the community.

"There is nothing like it in the world because of the diversity on show. You can follow a float, listen to a steelpan or check out one of the sound systems which play music ranging from hip-hop to ska and Latin music."

Organisers have criticised the Mayor's office for contributing only £80,000 towards the carnival, which costs almost £300,000 to stage.

More than 10,000 police officers will be on duty at this year's event at a cost of more than £5 million.

www.rbkc.gov.uk/NottingHill06/general