Europe's biggest street party, Notting Hill Carnival, has kicked off with thousands of people ignoring the poor weather to celebrate the event in north west London. Started in 1964 by immigrants from Trinidad and Tobago who resided in the Notting Hill area, the event is now seen as reflecting London's diversity and is also thought to be the biggest behind the Rio Carnival.

The 44th year of the event sees the usual the two-day celebrations with over a million people expected between Sunday and Monday. Amongst the procession of costumes and steel bands, 40 sound systems including Mastermind Sound System, representing Colourful Radio, will entertain the crowds. The 3.5 mile route will also be awash with a host of foods, smells and tastes as diverse as Caribbean, Indian, Nigerian, Thai and Chinese.

With this year's theme "Welcoming the World", the Carnival hopes to attract the world's eyes from the Beijing Olympics and help establish London as the next big place for world class events. And just as the Carnival celebrations started Sunday, the Olympic ceremonial handover from Beijing to London was underway. London Mayor Boris Johnson said "Notting Hill Carnival is truly welcoming the world on behalf of the capital."

To link up both events, a giant 25-square-metre screen was installed at Pleasance Park along the carnival route, so carnival revelers could celebrate the handover of the Olympic flag from Beijing to London. And for those revellers that want to stay away from the crushing procession, the screens also show live footage of the celebrations across the Carnival route.

According to Reuters, police have said that Knife crime will be the top priority at the Carnival. Officers have been given extra powers to stop and search potential criminals in a bid to crack down on the violence that has blighted event in recent years. They will use search wands and number plate recognition technology in a £6 million operation to reduce knife crime during the event. British Transport Police have also set up search arches at major tube stations to detect people trying to bring weapons to the carnival.