Notting Hill Carnival
looks ahead to London 2012
(BBC SLIDESHOW)
Hundreds of thousands of revellers party on the streets of
west London for the Notting Hill Carnival.
On Children's Sunday, dancers, artists and groups in colourful
costumes perform along the three-and-a-half mile route.
In addition to the costumes and music, there are also
hundreds of exotic food and drink stalls on offer.
It is believed that 1 million and a half people will attend the
carnival
making it the largest street festival in Europe
It is estimated that the carnival features about 50,000
participants adorned with 150,000 feather plumes and 30
million sequins.
Revelers can also enjoy a variety of different musical styles
such as steelpan bands, traditional soca, calypso or
reggae.
Giant puppets are also popular at the Notting Hill
carnival.
The quiet residential streets of west London have been
transformed with the carnival's loud and noisy party
atmosphere.
Thousands of Metropolitan Police officers are on duty
at the carnival.
The security budget for the event was boosted by a new
sponsorship deal.
Police made several arrests in the week building up to the
event but have said that celebrations have got off to a
peaceful start.
The carnival's main procession takes place on Bank
Holiday Monday.