Crowd communication at Notting Hill Carnival
Crowd communication at Notting Hill Carnival
Notting Hill Carnival is one of the largest street festivals in the world — and the biggest in Europe. On 24 and 25 August 2025, close to two million people filled the streets of West London to celebrate Caribbean culture.
An event of this scale is a powerful symbol of community and identity. It is also one of the most demanding crowd-safety environments anywhere in the UK.
Constant movement, loud music and densely packed streets make one thing decisive: communication. Getting the right message to the right people, in the right place, at the right moment — that is the difference between a crowd that flows and a crowd that stalls.
That is where CrowdCows came in. Working from the central Control Room alongside the Notting Hill Carnival organisation, we deployed 14 HIKER screens along the parade route and on the approach roads leading towards it. From a single control point we drove each screen individually and wirelessly, steering and informing visitors in real time — easing pressure at key junctions, guiding people along safe routes, and keeping the crowd calm and well-informed across both days.
The deployment drew national attention. In its coverage of the carnival, the BBC highlighted the HIKER screens as a new addition for 2025 — used to keep crowds moving safely and reduce the risk of dangerous crushing, all driven live from a single control desk. On camera, the Metropolitan Police’s Carnival commander, Charmain Brenyah, pointed to the screens as part of the safety plan — a way to give visitors the key messages they need. The deployment also featured on Sky News.
The clearest sign of success is simple: after the 2025 debut, CrowdCows was invited back for the 2026 edition — proof that fast, reliable crowd communication earns its place at an event of this magnitude.
BBC News: https://youtu.be/SEXX54WgwyA
“We’re looking at additional screens… to provide them with key messages.”
— Commander Charmain Brenyah, Metropolitan Police (Notting Hill Carnival lead), BBC News, August 2025
Preparing for Martyn’s Law? Read how crowd communication helps UK venues meet the communication duty.
European patent application pending: independent real-time control of video and audio, with no dependence on mobile networks, hackable IP networks or cabling.
Photos from Crowd communication at Notting Hill Carnival
Case details
- 14 HIKER screens
- Positioned along the parade route and approach roads
- Operated live from the central Control Room
- Custom-built crowd-messaging software
- Behavioural-influence techniques
- Delivered 2025 — returning in 2026
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