As temperatures soared to over 30C (86F) in London, the tempo picked up at the Notting Hill carnival – and so did the costumes. The elaborate handmade outfits known as mas – short for masquerade – are at the heart of the annual spectacular.

Carnival troupes often gather together in mas camps to make costumes months in advance of the carnival. The idea of playing mas as part of a carnival band originated in Trinidad and has become a vivid feature of the Notting Hill parades.

When the London School of Samba joined the annual event 35 years ago it blended African and Brazilian carnival with the traditional caribbean celebration.

These days performers and revellers shake their feathers to music pumping through 36 sound systems playing an array of music from reggae and ska to Latin and soca, drum’n’bass and grime, in what has become Europe’s largest street party.