Jamie Moreland
Reporting from Notting Hill

Shuffling through the crowds today, I’ve seen incredible costumes, heard a vibrant range of music of smelt delicious food on the barbecues.

Even the rain has mostly held off.

We're signing off after a weekend of smiling faces and exhausting dancing on the streets of west London.

Missed the fun? Don't worry - you can get a taste of Europe's largest street party in my one-minute video below:

From me at the carnival, and from Marita Moloney and Jacqueline Howard in central London, thanks for joining us and have a lovely evening.

Image source, Reuters

A kaleidoscope of vibrantly-costumed revellers have been parading through the streets of west London today marking the final day and what is anticipated to be the climax of Europe's biggest street party.

The annual celebration of Caribbean culture and history saw thousands take part in an exuberant parade, with hundreds of thousands more onlookers dancing and cheering alongside, all breathing in the sweet, smoky scent of jerk chicken.

Today's celebrations have included the 75-year anniversary of the docking of the Empire Windrush, with a bespoke bus taking to the streets.

Mid-afternoon saw crowds fall silent for 72 seconds to honour the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire, marking a tragedy that rocked the community.

And the Metropolitan Police says the mood so far is good-natured as officers monitor the celebrations under orders to be friendly, relaxed and vigilant.

Image source, EPA

Jamie Moreland
Reporting from Notting Hill

Dressed in clothes resembling a police uniform, ‘Sergeant Slickz’ (right) says the "soca police force" has been patrolling Carnival bringing fun and banter since 1994.

“We’re having a good time, making sure everyone is happy, safe, drinking water - operation hydration - and celebrating each other,” he says.

The group also have a skipping rope, “operation skip rope” for the public to have a go.

Jamie Moreland
Reporting from Notting Hill

Charlene is selling traditional Caribbean rum punch on Portobello Road, which she made with “secret ingredients”.

“I’m not going to tell you the recipe,” she says with a beaming smile.

“It’s a nice mellow drink, so people don’t get overly drunk but they’re still enjoying themselves,” she says.

Tarah Welsh
BBC London

Events at carnival have also been marking the 75th anniversary of the Empire Windrush arriving in the UK.

We asked people what flags they were wearing and what the Windrush generation means to them.

Tyronne, wearing the flag of Barbados, says: “They mean a lot to me. My grandma is part of that generation, I love her dearly and without her, I wouldn’t be here.”

Adanna was wearing the flag of Trinidad and is pictured with Jacey wearing the flag of Jamaica.

He says: “My grandparents are part of the Windrush generation so it’s time to look back to them and remember them.”

Zoe with a Dominica flag says: “Carnival is culture, it’s heritage, I’ve been coming since I was a kid and now I get to bring my own daughter and let her feel the vibes as well.“

Wesley Dowridge, 80, came to the UK from Guyana in 1962. He says seeing the young people wrapped in the flags of their heritage is “beautiful”.

Jamie Moreland
Reporting from Notting Hill

Crowds are now starting to get really packed in places.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been investigating overcrowding at last year’s carnival, as several people told me they felt unsafe in a crowd surge incident.

That’s why this year organisers and police are putting a special focus on crowd management to keep people safe while having fun.

These extra measures include 500 more stewards who are briefed to spot densely packed areas, a group monitoring the situation, trialling crowd safety camera technology and having officers on horses to see crowds from a height.

Official advice is to “go with the flow, don’t walk against it” and to step away from particularly busy areas if you feel uncomfortable.

Jamie Moreland
Reporting from Notting Hill

Steel pan bands fell silent for 72 seconds at 15:00 to pay respect to those who lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower fire.

Firefighters and survivors stood outside Ladbroke Grove fire station, followed by a round of applause from the public.

Michael McKenzie & Adriana Elgueta

When she arrived in in London from Trinidad in the 1970s, costume maker Clara Sandy was disheartened to find that carnival was viewed as a negative thing, when for her it should be the heart of the community and the event of the year for all ages.

So after finishing art school, she was determined to use her skills to help change that narrative in the capital.

"I wanted to be part of that message - that carnival is something to be respected, enjoyed and participated in. It's about freedom and about expressing ourselves," she says.

"It's to demonstrate that everyone has their own voice and everyone has a place. What's more, it's about bringing our children up in our culture.

“For us that's the focus of what we do, it's an integral part of their upbringing."

• Read the full article here

For a second year running, there are safe spaces available to women dotted around the Notting Hill Carnival.

These spaces are run by an organisation called Safer Spaces, external, and you can identify their team members by their coral coloured t-shirts.

While their work is "gender-informed", given the rate at which women experience gender-based harassment, the Safer Spaces team has publicly committed to providing support to anyone who seeks their services at the carnival, regardless of how they identify.

Image source, Getty Images

We've just heard from Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley, who is at carnival this year - his first one in the top job.

The Met has supported an increase in the number of stewards on hand at the event this year, Rowley says.

The more stewards, "the better it will be for carnival and the more people will be able to just enjoy themselves and not worry", he tells Eddie Nestor on BBC London Radio.

Rowley says he has instructed his officers to "be relaxed, friendly and engaged, to smile, talk to people, but be vigilant".

"Because a small number of people come to this carnival to steal or cause injury, so we need to keep an eye on that," he says, noting that any event of this size would carry these same risks.

Police confirmed that 85 arrests were made yesterday at carnival for various offences, including possession of an offensive weapon, drugs offences and alleged assaults on police officers.

Jamie Moreland
Reporting from Notting Hill

Tamla is the arranger for the Panectar steel pan band.

They play on foot while wheeling their equipment up Ladbroke Grove. It’s hard work keeping it moving.

“I’ve been part of carnival since the 70s,” he says proudly.

Adriana Elgueta
Reporting from Notting Hill

“In Trinidad, it goes on for months and it involves the whole country not just a community," Laurence tells me about the carnival celebrations.

Eldy, dressed as a pharaoh beside him, adds: “But the Carnival in London really helps to unite people, it’s bringing other people into our culture so they can appreciate everything as well as our rhythm and blues.”

Jamie Moreland
Reporting from Notting Hill

Nicola Calica is getting a queue to form at the Jerk ’n’ Chips food stall, as she stands in front of it shouting into a microphone “offering good vibes as standard.”

Like many other stalls, the smell of jerk and fried chicken with rice and peas wafts through the air.

“The trick to get people to your stall is to make sure your food smells as great as it tastes. And get a loud-mouthed menopausal woman with a microphone in her hand. That’s the key,” she says.

Jamie Moreland
Reporting from Notting Hill

I’m at the Rampage sound system, the largest one at carnival. There are two towers of speakers facing down the road, where it’s already pretty crammed with people partying.

Treble T, Maurice and Mike Anthony have important jobs - keeping the sound going and the crowd dancing.

Mike lived on this road 30 years ago and took over the spot after a “the sound didn’t work out well” for another DJ.

Mike says a lot has changed over the years, but “the one thing we’ve stayed true to is our culture”.

Michael McKenzie & Adriana Elgueta

For more than 50 years the dazzling feather outfits, extravagant headdresses and sparkling masquerades of the Notting Hill Carnival have filled the streets of west London.

For Clary Salandy and her family, carnival is bigger than Christmas.

Over eight weeks in the run-up to the event, the artists at her Harlesden studio, Mahogany Carnival, pour their hearts and souls into designing and constructing unique masquerades for 200 revellers.

Since she started her studio in 1989, Salandy has recruited numerous family members and friends to the production line to create a 25-person strong team.

The team of engineers, sculptors and designers primarily make the costumes families wear rather than dance troupes.

The studio also offers opportunities for young artists in the community to get stuck in and grow their skills.

• Read the full article here.

Adriana Elgueta
Reporting from Notting Hill

It’s Shelice’s second time joining the Tropical Fusion Mas float which is Granada inspired .

“Carnival means so much to me! I was born on carnival, so I’m a carnival baby – I was 23 yesterday," she tells me.

“Everyone comes to together, it’s just peace, love and vibes.”

Image source, Getty Images

As we've been reporting, London’s Notting Hill Carnival is a huge street festival that celebrates Caribbean heritage, arts and culture.

Trinidadian human rights activist Claudia Jones came up with the idea to create a special gathering in the area to unify the local community after a series of racially motivated attacks on West Indian residents in August 1958.

The event was held in St Pancras town hall the following January and the ‘Caribbean Carnival’, as it was called, was broadcast on the BBC.

This planted the seeds for the first outdoor event put on by local resident and social worker Rhaune Laslett on the streets of Notting Hill in 1966.

She sought to highlight and celebrate the diversity in her area by putting on a festival which was attended by many local Caribbean residents.

• Read more about the festival’s history here.