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Thousands at Belfast Pride parade Belfast Pride: Thousands attend 25th annual parade in city
(35 minutes later)
Thousands of people have lined the streets of Belfast for the city's annual Gay Pride Parade.Thousands of people have lined the streets of Belfast for the city's annual Gay Pride Parade.
Much of the attention this year focused on marriage equality in Northern Ireland. Much of the attention this year focused on the campaign to introduce marriage equality in Northern Ireland.
The parade left Custom House Square at noon with the usual mixture of colour, music and performances.The parade left Custom House Square at noon with the usual mixture of colour, music and performances.
The parade is now in its 25th year and organisers claim that in that time the number of participants has grown from 100 to more than 40,000. The event is now in its 25th year and organisers claim that, in that time, the number of participants has grown from 100 to more than 40,000.
Festival organisers wore t-shirts with the slogan "It's time", a reference to the continuing campaign for "full equality" in Northern Ireland.Festival organisers wore t-shirts with the slogan "It's time", a reference to the continuing campaign for "full equality" in Northern Ireland.
There was a small protest against the parade outside city hall. Speaking ahead of the parade, Lord Mayor of Belfast, Arder Carson, said he was looking forward to "another fantastic event for the city".
"It's going to be a spectacle of colour, it's going to be an expression of identity and an expression of diversity for Belfast".
The Sinn Féin councillor said marking the 25th anniversary of the first Belfast Pride parade was a "milestone" for the gay rights movement.
"It started small scale way back in the day and it's just grown, year on year, and I suppose today, being a quarter century, is of special significance for the Belfast Pride festival.
"So I dare say, we'll have a few more visitors in the city today because of that," Mr Carson added.
After voters in the Republic of Ireland supported the introduction of same sex marriage in a referendum in May, Northern Ireland is now the only part of the UK and Ireland where gay marriage has not been legalised.
The Northern Ireland Assembly has voted on the issue four times and each time it has been rejected.
On Saturday, a small protest against the parade was staged outside Belfast City Hall.