'Notting Hill Carnival has existed for 60 years and this is what will keep it going into the future'

Notting Hill Carnival is marking its 60th anniversary, with one of the world's biggest street festivals ready to kick off this bank holiday weekend.

The boss of Notting Hill Carnival has shared why he believes that after six decades the event will continue far into the future. CEO Matthew Phillip said the massive weekend long event will "evolve", but the younger generation will keep the world famous event alive.

Over the past few years, Notting Hill Carnival has faced calls to have the event moved off the streets of West London while concerns about safety and policing have been raised. The CEO defended the event and told the Mirror people making those calls "don't understand Carnival, and they just see Carnival as a problem".

Europe's biggest street party started with just 500 residents in 1966 but has now grown into a huge annual event, expected to attract around two million people this weekend. The Metropolitan Police said more than 7,000 officers will be deployed over the weekend as millions descend on West London.

The force said most attendees come "solely with the intention of enjoying themselves" but the Met would work to to pursue the "small minority who come intending to do harm". In the face of criticism around crime and calls to have the event moved - with the head of the Conservative group on the Greater London Authority, Susan Hall, suggesting carnival be in Hyde Park - Mr Phillip hit back.

He told the Mirror: "Those calls come from people that don't understand Carnival, and they just see Carnival as a problem. But I think the statistics kind of help support our case that it's not a problem, it's something that should be cherished.

"It does a lot, not just economically for the country but, for people's well-being. And, any money that is spent on Carnival it's not cap in hand, it's actually, we're grateful for the funding and support we get, but it's actually an investment in what Carnival does."

The Met Police said it made 528 arrests over the main two days of Notting Hill Carnival last year but also revealed 61 of these were through Live Facial Recognition deployments. Ahead of this weekend, the force said it has arrested or imposed bail conditions on 330 people while also raiding addresses linked to suspected robbery gangs that target live events.

Mr Phillip told the Mirror the organisation works with the Met and authorities but shared this year organisers will have more ownership of the event this year with more control over infrastructure and the weekend. Despite this, the CEO added: "We still have support from the Met Police and the local authorities."

Mr Phillip said he believed carnival would continue into the future due to the community around the event. He said: "Carnival is community-owned, and the community will stand up for it."

He added: "Carnival is going to evolve. Although, you know there's a blueprint there, but it actually constantly subtly evolves." Mr Phillip said the the bands and sound system that are key to carnival will change with the younger generations.