Notting Hill Carnival 2011: London's Carribbean Celebration Kicks Off In Spectacular Style Despite Concerns (PHOTOS)

The second day of the Notting Hill Carnival kicked off in spectacular style Monday, despite a visible increase in police presence following London's violent riots earlier this month.

As The Guardian is reporting, thousands of people lined the route as more than 70 floats, dancers and drummers wound their way through the usually quiet streets of Notting Hill in west London. The number of officers present -- reported to be more than 6,500 -- did little to deter visitors. Billed as the largest celebration of Caribbean culture in Europe, the event was expected to draw more than 1 million spectators over two days, Reuters reports.

"We didn't even think about not coming after the riots –- why should we?" one reveler was quoted as saying. "It is just as good an atmosphere as always and I think everyone is here for a party."

Metropolitan Police Commander Steve Rodhouse echoed those sentiments, telling SkyNews that the additional surveillance had minimal impact on the festivities overall. "It has been a great event -- our key role is to make sure people are safe, we have had to make fewer arrests than normal, so we are happy but we are not complacent," he said.

View photos of the Notting Hill Carnival here: