Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Belfast Pride: Colour floods the streets for Pride parade

Thousands of people have turned out in Belfast for the annual Pride parade.

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar attended the march.

Image copyright PA Media Image caption A Pride-goer grabs a selfie with taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar

Billed as a celebration of the city's LGBT community and as a protest calling for equality, the parade set off from Custom House Square at 13:00 BST and paraded through the city centre.

A rainbow Pride flag was flown from Belfast City Hall for the first time. Lord Mayor John Finucane said it was "hugely significant".

Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption The Pride event was a spectacle of colour in Belfast city centre

Members of BBC Pride, a staff-led initiative which operates across the UK, took part in the Belfast parade for the first time.

Image copyright Niall Carson/PA Media Image caption BBC Northern Ireland staff joined the parade for the first time

The head of BBC Northern Ireland apologised to staff on Friday over "confusion" around participation in the event.

In an email on Friday, Peter Johnston said the organisation would not be "involved corporately" in the event.

Skip Twitter post by @johnfinucane At the break of dawn, I was proud to help raise the Pride flag over City Hall for the very first time in our history.

This is hugely significant for Belfast.

I wish everyone taking part in @belfastpride a brilliant day.#RightsNow

🏳‍🌈 pic.twitter.com/t9bdqVZWkn — John Finucane MP (@johnfinucane) August 3, 2019 Report

The theme of this year's parade was 'Rights Now', as it aimed "to highlight the rights that are still denied to [the LGBTQ+] community".

Belfast's first ever Pride parade was in 1991, when about 100 people took part.

Image copyright PAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty Images Image caption Some people wore rainbow colours from head to toe

Image copyright @hakansandal Image caption Marchers made their own signs for the parade including this mother and son