Londoners let hair down at Europe's biggest street party

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of west London on Monday for the annual Notting Hill Carnival, a celebration of Caribbean culture that has become Europe's biggest street party.

Police estimated about 220,000 people turned up to dance, drink and eat jerk chicken on Sunday for the first of two days of partying, which passed off peacefully despite a string of arrests for low-level offences.

Even more were expected to turn out on Monday to see brightly coloured floats and exoticly-dressed dancers parade through the streets to the sounds of traditional steel drums and dozens of sound systems pumping music.

Carnival began the 1950s in response to deteriorating race relations. Since 1964, it has been held in Notting Hill, giving London's Afro-Caribbean communities a platform to celebrate their culture and traditions.

The event was marred by race riots in the past but in recent years has been viewed as a showcase for the British capital's mix of cultures.

There has been some opposition from local residents, but for most people, carnival -- held on a bank holiday weekend every August -- is a chance to let their hair down in one enormous free party.

Police maintain a visible presence, in particular to clamp down on anyone carrying knives or guns. By early on Monday, 76 people had been arrested, the majority for possession of drugs.

(PIC: Zed Jameson/NEWSPICS)