Part of Visit London's "Only in London" campaign, which provides a list of 171 unique London experiences for visitors (the full list can be seen at the Only in London page), has a number that are based in Notting Hill! The area can be proud - although, in fairness, I do believe that tourists and visitors have managed to make their way to the area in their droves before this list was published...

Notting Hill-based items on the list include:

Number 43 - "Join the party at Notting Hill Carnival, Europe's largest street carnival"

Number 44 - "Peruse one of the largest weekly antique markets in the world on Portobello Road"

Number 46 - "Find out where Hugh Grant met Julia Roberts in the movie Notting Hill"

Number 149 - "Enjoy the comfort of Electric Cinema in Notting Hill, the city's oldest functioning cinema"

Pretty standard stuff, really, but all good reasons to pay Notting Hill a visit! I would say that number 46 does sound a little misleading to me, seeing as technically Hugh Grant met Julia Roberts in a fictional-but-based-on-a-real bookstore, and then spilt orange juice on her in the street. Put like that, it doesn't sound all that exciting, does it?

Labels: News

Changes are afoot for this year's Notting Hill Carnival, following crowd trouble at the close of last year's event which saw mobs battle with police. This year's parade event will have to finish by 9pm (which means the earliest ever start time of 10am), and the number of floats taking part in it will be reduced to 125. Although those watching the parade won't be asked to leave its close, it is assumed that revellers will automatically disperse soon after so clean up operations can start earlier, as last year's Carnival saw many people stay in the area until around midnight. This curfew will be a first for the Carnival in its 45-year history.

Noise restrictions will also be imposed as 2008 saw sound levels reach an ear-splitting 140 decibels.

• Carnival gets first dusk curfew to cut street fighting (This Is London, 6th May 2009)

Labels: Events