Belfast Pride 'is not just a celebration, it's a protest for freedom'

The Belfast Pride parade has made its way through the city's streets.

Now in its 35th year, the 10-day festival began last Friday with a programme of cultural events, nights out and discussions.

The theme this year was Love in Every Colour, which the festival said "recognises the courage of those individuals who came before us and the rising voices of those today who work tirelessly to protect our future and our beautiful community".

The Pride parade departed from Custom House Square at 13:00 BST and finished at Victoria Street at 16:00.

Lynn Millar, co-chairperson of Belfast Pride, said about 8,000 people were taking part in this year's parade.

She added that in total, more than 80,000 people including spectators attended the event last year, and she would be "really happy" if the same number attended on Saturday.

Nazir Uddin, who is from Bangladesh, joined the parade for the first time.

Uddin said the event was "not just a celebration, it's a protest for freedom, to be who I am without any fear".

"The protest will continue until people in every corner in the world can express their sexuality safely and proudly."

Lynn Millar said the event had evolved over the years.

"From when we first started, people's true identities and true sexuality have come out and it's not just gay men and gay women, we have a lot of other people within this community, and so we wanted to celebrate all of them," she said.

She said Northern Ireland and Belfast especially had become a "very multicultural city, and it's lovely to celebrate that as well".

Erica Blake took part in the parade with the ROSA Socialist Feminist Movement, with the aim of raising awareness and giving visibility to the gay and transgender community.

"There are people who don't feel safe about being open about their sexuality.

"The more people there are, the more supported people feel."

Stephanie added that taking part in the parade "promotes diversity and inclusivity".

Linda Dunbar went to see her niece at the parade, adding that she was a drag artist and she was "very proud of her".

Cassie Bell, who was with her, added: "The support is growing [for Belfast Pride] every year, it's amazing to see the drag queens and the fashion."

One thing was different about this year's festival: there were no corporate sponsors.

A Belfast Pride spokesperson said said the festival had received public funding and also in-kind support (non-monetary) from partners and venues.

This meant onlookers would still see business names in the programme, on promotional materials and on stage at Custom House Square, but this year the only financial support would come from the public funders.

On the decision not to accept corporate sponsorship, a spokesperson said "as with any support received, Belfast Pride has sought to ensure that partnerships align with the delivery of the festival and its charitable and community objectives".

As part of the Belfast Pride festival, an event was held in Custom House Square with local LGBTQIA+ performers and entertainment taking to the stage.

Donegall Quay was home to the Belfast Pride village, which had a range of stalls hosted by community groups, a family fun area, live children's entertainment, a picnic area and an alcohol, smoke and vape-free zone.