Carnival comes to town

Around 1.5m people are expected to join the Notting Hill Carnival, which takes place on August 30 and 31.

The event, with its colourful costumes, floats and steel bands, is Europe's biggest street party and a celebration of Caribbean culture.

Key changes for this year will see more rigorous noise controls and an earlier start for the 3.5 mile carnival procession.

Listen live to BBC London 94.9's Carnival coverage throughout the Bank Holiday

CHANGES TO THIS YEAR'S CARNIVAL Procession starts an hour earlier at 0900 BST Judging of floats completed by 1830 BST Carnival 'season' launched highlighting the five carnival art disciplines Agreed noise level of 135 decibels to be adhered to

Organisers have decided the procession should start an hour earlier at 0900 BST, so that the judging of floats can be completed by 1830 BST.

There will also be renewed efforts to ensure the agreed noise level of 135 decibels is adhered to, making it easier for the emergency services to communicate, according to Westminster Council.

"The best street carnival in Europe"

Last year's event, with its Welcoming the World theme, was overshadowed by fears that the economic squeeze would affect the scale of some of the smaller mas bands.

Carnival-goer Aida Asefaw says the street parade is about unity

Though some performing groups had to compromise, the spectacular costumes on show on Bank Holiday Monday dazzled the crowds and proved the spirit of carnival was intact.

"This is the best street carnival in Europe," says Aida Asefaw of Burrokeets Mas band, who has been attending the event for 14 years.

"People come to London just for this. It's all about unity - no race, no creed, no colour, no gender."

The west London carnival is a spectacle typically involving about 50,000 participants adorned with 150,000 feather plumes and 30 million sequins.

Revellers top the 1m mark, dancing to over 40 static sound systems and enjoying traditional fare from hundreds of Caribbean food stalls.

Almost 40 static sound systems will offer up their own selection of music including traditional soca or calypso as well as reggae, hip-hop, jazz, soul, house and garage to entertain the crowds.

Costume prizes

Hundreds of exotic food and drink stalls will also provide a variety of tastes from around the globe including the authentic flavours of the Caribbean, China, Thailand and Nigeria.

The carnival gets under way on the Saturday with the steel band competition Panorama, followed on Sunday by Children's Day, when the costume prizes are awarded.

On Bank Holiday Monday, the main parade takes place along the route.

It generally begins on Great Western Road, then winds its way along Chepstow Road, on to Westbourne Grove, and then Ladbroke Grove.

Last year the Metropolitan Police spent £6m to tighten security along the route and were given additional powers to stop and search.

Police also installed metal detectors throughout the route to stop the carrying of guns and knives.

This year officers will also be using automatic number plate recognition in a bid to stop cars whose owners may be connected to criminal activity.

"It's important to remember that crime rates do remain relatively low at Carnival, given the thousands of people who attend," says Chief Superintendent Mick Johnson of the Territorial Support Group.

London Notting Hill Carnival Limited, the event's organiser, believes the carnival adds close to £100m to the city's economy.

Lead director Chris Boothman added the event was unmatched in the UK in terms of artistic spectacle.

See also:

BBC London's Carnival travel guide

1Xtra: Carnival 2009