Are You Heading for the Carnival this Weekend?

Follow our guide to getting around Notting Hill

More than a million people are expected to visit the Notting Hill carnival on Sunday 25 August - Children's Day - and Monday 26 August - Adults' Day.

Transport for London warns that this means roads and public transport in west London will be very busy, with Carnival bands taking to the streets from 9am on both days until at least 7pm.

TfL has produced a 2013 Notting Hill Carnival Map which find the nearest stations and bus routes and if you are in the area during the weekend, TfL's magenta wayfinding signage will be present in and around the event to help you get around.

TfL also offers these tips on travelling:

Buses

Some bus routes will be disrupted or on diversion. The routes that serve the Carnival area are: 2X, 6, 7, 16, 18, 23, 27, 28, 31, 36, 36X, 46, 52, 70, 94, 98, 148, 159, 187, 205, 205X, 220, 228, 295, 316, 328, 332, 390, 414, 436, 436X, 452, N7, N16, N18, N28, N31 N98 and N207. Check live travel news before you travel.

Tube

For safety reasons, some stations may close temporarily to prevent overcrowding. It may be worthwhile waiting until the station reopens instead of going to a different station.

Help us to keep stations open by arranging to meet up with friends outside stations and not leaving any bags unattended. Save yourself time by topping up your Oyster card in advance.

Drinking or carrying open containers of alcohol is not permitted on the Tube, London Overground or buses.

Sometimes we may need to leave ticket gates open ue to large numbers of passengers. If you are unable to touch in and out and are not charged the correct fare, you will get an automatic refund within seven days. Find out more in Using your Oyster card.

Stations with restrictions

Ladbroke Grove

Closed on 25-26 August

Latimer Road

Closes at 11.30pm on 25-26 August

Notting Hill Gate

Exit only 11am - 7pm on 25-26 August
Circle and District line trains will not stop at this station between11am - 7pm on Sunday 25 August and all day Monday 26 August
There will be no interchange between Central and Circle/District lines

Royal Oak

Exit only 11am - 6pm on 25-26 August
Closes at 6pm on both days

Westbourne Park

Exit only 11am - 6pm on 25-26 August
Closes at 11.30pm on both days

Waterloo & City line - No service on Monday 26 August

Alternative stations

Bayswater

If you're travelling on the Circle or District lines, use this station midday - 7pm, as both lines will not stop at Notting Hill Gate

Paddington

You may want to use this station instead of Notting Hill Gate or Royal Oak, which both have restrictions 25-26 August
Other nearby stations are High Street Kensington, Holland Park, Queen's Park and Shepherd's Bush

London Overground stations

There may be industrial action on London Overground services this weekend (Sunday 25 and Monday 26 August) which will affect some routes.

We will be running as many services as possible and there will be alternative Tube, bus and rail services available to help people get around the capital this weekend.

Check before you travel for the most up to date information.

Barclays Cycle Hire

A number of Barclays Cycle Hire docking stations in the Notting Hill area will be suspended from 9pm on Saturday 24 until 7am on Tuesday 27 August.

Although all other docking stations will remain available, traffic congestion in the area may make it difficult for cycle hire redistribution vehicles to collect and/or replace bicycles in west London.

Please check cycle and space availability online using the live docking station map. Also, our docking station status page will be updated with details before the event.

Walking

Plan your journey here

Driving

There will be extensive road closures in the Notting Hill, Ladbroke Grove and Westbourne Park areas because of the Carnival. Drivers should avoid the area if possible, or allow more time for their journey.
Roads will generally close from 7am on Sunday 25 and reopen around 3am - 4am on Tuesday 27 August.
Roads in the surrounding area, including Harrow Road, Holland Park Road, Edgware Road and Scrubs Lane will be affected and are likely to be much busier than normal.

Using your Oyster card

Due to high passenger numbers at stations, we may need to leave ticket gates open.

If you can't touch in or out, any maximum fare incurred will be refunded automatically to your card when you next use it on the Tube (within seven days from the end of the Carnival)
To save time and avoid the queues, get your tickets in advance. Find out more
If you use pay as you go, top up before you travel; a balance of £10 on your card covers journeys into and around London for the whole day. Check our fares tables for the amount you'll need or use the single fare finder to find the fare between stations
If you don't have one, you can get an Oyster card here, or you can buy a Day Travelcard from a ticket office, ticket machine or Travel Information Centre up to seven days in advance of the date of travel. If you're travelling to London on National Rail, you can combine your ticket with a Day Travelcard

If you'd like to know more about the event, visit the Notting Hill Carnival website

August 23, 2013