Notting Hill Carnival Saved by £1m Bailout, Faces £4.66m Boost

The future of Notting Hill Carnival was secured following an emergency £1 million bailout in July 2025, provided by London's City Hall and the local authorities of Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster. The world-famous street party had been facing potential collapse due to significant funding struggles and critical public safety concerns identified in an independent review.

Further Investment for 60th Anniversary

Just eight months after the initial bailout, Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan allocated a further £4.66 million. This investment is intended to support the carnival as it prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2026. The event has been at a crossroads, grappling with escalating costs, ongoing safety issues, and negative publicity.

The total expenditure for the three-day event in 2025 rose to £21 million. This figure represents a substantial increase from approximately £6 million in the early 2000s. These costs encompass essential services such as stewarding, policing, waste management, and security, including expenses for third-party contractors.

Policing Costs and Safety Concerns

Policing the carnival is a significant expense for the Metropolitan Police. In 2025, the force spent £15.7 million on security for the event, an increase from £11.7 million in 2024. These costs cover officer accommodation, catering, and overtime. In comparison, the Met Police spent just over £10 million on policing all 133 Premier League football matches in London during the 2024-2025 season.

Safety has been a major point of contention. Councillor Susan Hall, leader of the Conservatives in the London Assembly, has voiced strong opinions on the carnival's financial burden, questioning the necessity of public funding. Official figures indicate that since 2016, over 75 people have been stabbed at the event. In 2025, 528 arrests were made, with 18 individuals detained for sexual assault.

However, organisers highlight that the majority of arrests in 2025 were for drug offences, not offensive weapons. Matthew Phillip, CEO of Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, stated that knife crime is a broader issue across the capital and that carnival organisers are also victims of crime. He emphasised the event's importance as a celebration of diversity and a source of pride and belonging for communities.

Research commissioned by The Voice Newspaper in 2024 suggested that the carnival has a direct economic impact of over £396 million annually, supports 3,000 full-time jobs, and attracts around 160,000 tourists.

What Happens Next

With the funding secured for 2025 and significant investment for the 2026 anniversary, the focus will shift to operational planning. The carnival will continue to work with City Hall, Kensington & Chelsea Council, Westminster Council, and the Metropolitan Police to address ongoing safety concerns and manage the event's substantial costs.