Notting Hill Carnival comes to Abbey Road Studios over the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend for a historic, one off collaboration. For the first time in its 54-year history, Notting Hill Carnival will be held online this year. The virtual incarnation – ‘Notting Hill Carnival: Access All Areas’ – will see performances and entertainment streamed across four channels over the bank holiday weekend from 29 August.

The collaboration between two of London’s great institutions Abbey Road Studios and Carnival features a number of filmed sessions at Abbey Road, amongst other venues across London, that will be broadcast online this weekend. Acts who have recorded sessions at Abbey Road for Carnival include British R&B and Soul acts; Omar, Terri Walker, Sun Diva's, Don-E, Carroll Thompson and Janet Kay, as well as a number of authentic Carnival Calypso and Soca bands.

With the support of Spotify, which is acting as an official partner for the 2020 celebrations, the event’s organisers will launch a dedicated microsite to host the weekend’s festivities. The event, which is traditionally held in Notting Hill, Westbourne Park and parts of Kensington and has taken place annually since 1966, will start with a live countdown on the large screen at Piccadilly Circus.

Matthew Phillip, Executive Director of Notting Hill Carnival said: “This year we faced the ultimate challenge of being unable to gather on the streets to celebrate our Carnival. But, now, more than ever, it’s important to keep the spirit of Notting Hill Carnival alive, giving an outlet to the thousands of people that spend all year creating incredible costumes and music for Europe’s largest event. Carnival is such an important part of people’s lives and key celebration of the multiculturalism of the UK, and we have a responsibility to our community and pioneers to honour that. We also have a responsibility to protect the black community and our elders by respecting social distancing and taking Carnival away from the streets for this year. So this is a fantastic solution for 2020.”

For more information and to see the full line-up, visit the official Notting Hill Carnival website.