Two-hundred-thousand revellers poured into west London as the Notting Hill Carnival gathered steam on Sunday, police said, with up to 2 million expected to join in the three-day Caribbean spectacular.
The theme of the 41st carnival, billed as Europe's biggest street festival, is "Unity and Diversity" in the wake of the London bombings on July 7, in which 56 people, including four suicide bombers, were killed in blasts on three Underground trains and a bus.
About 4,500 police officers were on duty for the carnival -- a high-voltage blend of floats, costumes, steel bands, sound systems and non-stop dancing -- and security was tight although police had said there was "no specific threat" to the event.
The carnival officially kicked off on Saturday but Sunday saw its traditional opening ceremony, with a day-break procession of festival-goers daubed in mud and paint, backed by the heady beat of steel drum music.
Throughout the day, festival-goers lined the streets under blue skies to watch the procession of floats and hundreds of costumed dancers, shimmying in feathers, silks and sequins.
Lesley Thwaites, 43, had brought her nieces, who are visiting from Trinidad, to dance alongside the floats on Sunday, which is traditionally children's carnival day.
"I don't think people have been put off this year at all," she said.
"That is the point, everyone here is united. Every nation is represented here. It's a wonderful party for everyone to enjoy," she said.
Commander Chris Allison, spokesman for the Metropolitan police, said all efforts were being made to ensure the event was as safe as possible.
"My colleagues will be working very hard over the weekend to make sure that everyone coming to the carnival has a great time and is as safe as they can be," he said.
The festival was originally launched in 1959 by post-World War II immigrants from what were then Britain's Caribbean colonies, as a community act of defiance after ugly race riots the year before.
It was held in various parts of London for a number of years before settling permanently in Notting Hill in 1964.
Organizers hope this year's Carnival will bring a smile back to Londoners after the trauma of last month's bombings, filling the streets of west London with color and music.
"July 7 has changed London in many respects but the one aspect that will never change is the strength of this city, its diversity, and nothing embodies this better than the Notting Hill Carnival, said Chris Mullard, chairman of London Notting Hill Carnival Limited.
"This year the Carnival movement has pulled together to ensure that a bigger, brighter and more spectacular series of events will culminate in another fantastic day on August Bank Holiday Monday," he said.
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