Attendees at the Caribbean celebration dressed in colorful, sparkling costumes to match the dancers. Pam Small, 54, had come from the US for the carnival and was dressed in yellow feathers and an elaborate glittery costume. She has traveled to the UK for the carnival nine times and was happy to be back after Covid. He said: “I love everything about it. The people, the culture, the diversity – it’s really special to be here.” Clayde Tavernier, 23, wore a blue feathered crown and passers-by stopped to dance and take pictures with him. The Dominican dancer, who attends every year, said: “Carnival is a time to be myself, to express who I am. I came from Dominica to be here and have fun.” Iona Edesiri Thomson and Neve Kearneg, both 18, from London, followed the parade in Ladbroke Grove, wearing Caribbean green and yellow make-up to represent the Jamaican flag. Part of the huge Notting Hill Carnival crowd as seen from Ladbroke Grove in west London. Photo: Ryan Prince/The Guardian Thomson said: “We’ve been around since we were little kids and this is the first time since Covid. The people are so much fun and I love the food. People cooking the food of their culture is really amazing.” Kearneg added: “Usually Britain is very white, but going to the carnival shows that we are a multicultural nation and it’s also great for tourism, which helps our economy.” Walking in the parade was Rolando Ponde, 34, who wore white platform heels and was covered in white, purple and pink feathers and matching diamonds. He said: “Carnival is special because it introduces people to their roots, to their culture. We have our community here in the UK and at the carnival we can all come together.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Sharon Decairos, 54, and her sister Samantha Decairos, 53, sat in camping chairs next to people celebrating in the street wearing Caribbean accessories. Sharon said: “With Covid we were all stuck inside. That’s what we missed.” Her sister added: “We can finally experience our culture again.” They have been going to the carnival since the 1970s and said the diversity and cultural celebration was what made it special. The Metropolitan Police said that by 7am on Monday 76 arrests had been made for “a variety of different offences”. Officers said a police horse died on duty during the carnival after collapsing at about 9pm on Sunday. The force said it was too early to determine the cause of death, adding that an investigation would be carried out.
