The Notting Hill Carnival will go ahead next month after almost £1million was found to enhance security.
The annual event – the world’s second largest street festival – had been in jeopardy after the Metropolitan Police warned there was a risk of a “mass casualty event” being caused by crushing.
Senior commanders said that officers had to intervene on a number of occasions last year to save lives after “100 spontaneous crowd incidents” caused alarm.
The reputation of the three-day event, established in 1966 to celebrate Caribbean culture, was also badly damaged by two murders.
City Hall already provides about £1m a year, primarily for safety and security, with additional investment from Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster councils.
But the three organisations will now provide an additional £958,000 to pay for private stewards to help control the vast crowds.
Chair of Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, Ian Comfort, said: “We are delighted that our partners at City Hall, the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, and the City of Westminster have come together to provide the funding necessary to ensure Notting Hill Carnival 2025 can go ahead.
“We also extend our sincere gratitude to the Metropolitan Police for their continued commitment to supporting the event and facilitating the implementation of key recommendations.”
Carnival organisations had asked the Government to cover the additional costs but is understood that no funding has been forthcoming from the Department for Culture.
Sources said there was a “sense of disappointment” that ministers had failed to contribute.
Kensington and Chelsea warned that due to “significant funding pressures” on its budgets the extra funding it would be providing would be for this year only and demanded the Government step up to provide funding in future years.
Its deputy leader Cllr Kim Taylor-Smith, said: “Carnival attracts over a million people every year and the organisers have asked for more funding to keep participants safe. We are providing this additional funding alongside our partners to enhance crowd management and safety because Government have not yet indicated any support is forthcoming.
“Given the evolution of Carnival, it has grown so much since the first event on the streets of Notting Hill in 1966, we really do hope Government recognises its importance to the community and will lend its support for the future. “
Met Commisioner Sir Mark Rowley, in an update to the London policing board last month, said the Metropolitan Police had “significant concerns” about the failure to secure funding for additional security at this year’s carnival.
However, in a later appearance on LBC radio, the commissioner appeared to indicate that the carnival would still go ahead despite the concerns, telling one caller that he would see him at the event.
Last month, London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said the extent of crushing at last year’s carnival left him “frightened” and brought to mind the Hillsborough football disaster, in which 97 people died.
He was warned by Susan Hall, leader of the City Hall Conservatives, that carnival was a “disaster waiting to happen”.
She asked the mayor: “Should the Government fund an event at which two people died at last year?”
A row had broken out over the future of the event after carnival chair Mr Comfort wrote to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to request extra funding after a review of the 2024 festival identified “critical public safety concerns.”
Mr Khan, said after the extra funding was provided: “Notting Hill Carnival is renowned across the world, with this community-led celebration of Caribbean history and culture attracting Londoners and visitors of all backgrounds to west London.
“The event burst onto our streets nearly six decades ago and has grown to become one of the world’s biggest street festivals, generating almost £400 million for our economy. This incredible growth has led to the need for a number of safety measures to be introduced, as identified in an independent review earlier this year.
“I’m proud to step forward alongside partners to provide further funding that will ensure this iconic celebration can take place this year, as we build a better London for everyone.”
Leader of Westminster City Council, Adam Hug, said: “Carnival is a significant cultural event for London and we’re proud to host part of it in Westminster.
“The Council has increased its financial contribution for this year to help the organisers deliver a successful weekend for the city.”
About two million people a year attend carnival, which is held on three days over the August bank holiday weekend.
The event is organised by Notting Hill Carnival Trust.
There were two murders on or near the carnival route. Cher Maximen, 32, who was with her three-year-old daughter when she was fatally stabbed, and Mussie Imnetu, a chef visiting from Dubai, who was attacked in Queensway.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward, the Met’s Gold Commander for the carnival this year, said: “Notting Hill Carnival remains an iconic London event, but one with unique challenges.
“The Met fully supported the event organisers’ decision to commission an independent review into crowd safety and we welcome the news that some additional funding has now been secured to allow them to implement a number of its recommendations.
“However, we must acknowledge that with just six weeks to go a lot of hard work is still required to mitigate all of the risks identified.
“While we can be confident that Carnival will be safer this year as a result of the changes that have been introduced, crowd safety remains an ongoing concern that must be carefully monitored and managed. It is important that the organisers continue to work with the partnership and emergency services to consider and take all possible steps to keep attendees safe.”
