The Notting Hill Carnival Begins

• The carnival celebrations have started in Notting Hill
• Among the events - J'ouvert, a children's parade, and concert performances
• The police are utilizing technology without a warrant to maintain order

The annual Notting Hill Carnival kicked off on Sunday, filling the streets of West London with color and sound. This is the largest street party in Europe, which this year has gathered thousands of attendees to celebrate the culture and history of the Caribbean.

The celebrations began early on Sunday with J'ouvert, where participants covered themselves in paint, colorful powder, and chocolate. This event, which starts at 06:00 BST, symbolizes the beginning of the carnival celebrations lasting through the bank holiday.

On Sunday, the Children's Day is also celebrated, leading up to the main carnival event scheduled for Monday. It is expected that there will be close to a million people on the streets, according to data from the Metropolitan Police, which has deployed around 7,000 officers to ensure order.

The police plan to utilize real-time facial recognition technology and establish control points at the busiest entry points of the carnival. This is done to prevent crime.

The festival has been taking place for over 50 years, and among the planned events for Monday is a children's parade and live musical performances.

The day of celebrations will start with a 72-second moment of silence at 15:00 to honor the 72 victims who died in the fire at Grenfell Tower and others who perished during the carnival.

Tags: Europe/Technology/Culture