Notting Hill carnival, one of the biggest cultural events in the UK that attracts more than a million people each year, has been cancelled due to coronavirus. It is the first time since the first outdoor event in 1966 that the carnival – originally scheduled for 30 and 31 August – will not take place.

Organisers said that “everyone’s health has to come first” and that they were planning an alternative “celebration of Carnival culture and arts for the whole nation” to take place on the same weekend: “We hope [the celebration] will bring the Carnival spirit to people from the safety of their homes, and make them feel connected and engaged.”

Panorama, the steel band competition that is a focus of carnival weekend, has also been cancelled.

Despite hopes that social distancing measures will be somewhat relaxed this weekend, festivals and other major events are unlikely to take place for some time. Glastonbury, Hay, Download and the various Edinburgh festivals are among those to have already cancelled.