Several thousand people turned up under grey skies for the annual open-air party that is the Hayes Carnival.
This year’s event was scaled down due to Olympic preparations by local police and the council, but this and the rain did not deter the crowds.
A procession from Hayes End Recreation Ground launched the show on Saturday, with more than 150 schools and community groups taking part.
The parade filed into Barra Hall Park, where the festivities continued into the afternoon.
The main stage was lit up by performances from Japanese drumming group Tamashii Daiko, the New Orleans Jazz Band, steel pans playing summer sounds, and a 120-member community choir.
Visitors were invited aboard the bouncing Big Dance Bus, which saw hip-hop and Bollywood dancers strutting their stuff on the double decker.
Transition Heathrow campaigners put thoughts of their legal battle against eviction from their Sipson community garden to one side, and manned their own section with eco-friendly activities.
They also scooped the Best Performance prize in the parade for their cycle-powered float.
Organiser Charlotte Baldwin said: “We weren’t able to do everything we wanted to do because of the conditions. The best thing about the day was that everyone got on with it, and just thought ‘the show must go on’.
“The parade was fantastic. We had really creative entries and people made some beautiful costumes.”
See tomorrow newspaper for a picture spread.
