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St Patrick's Day festivities taking place across NI

Pacemaker Young children at Downpatrick being held up on adults shoulders. Both are wearing hats with shamrocks on them. Pacemaker
Families made the most of the parade in Downpatrick

Thousands of people have lined the streets in Belfast city centre for the annual St Patrick's Day parade.

Parades also took place in Londonderry, Enniskillen, Downpatrick, Newry and Armagh and - for the first time in seven years - in Ballycastle.

There was a carnival atmosphere in Belfast with many in the crowd wearing green for the occasion.

The parade is the centrepiece of the city's celebrations with a St Patrick's Day Festival Village also happening in the Cathedral Quarter.

Pacemaker A man wears a green, velvet leprechaun outfit, complete with a large, ginger beard and a pipe high-fives children who are lining up along the street in Belfast. Pacemaker
This leprechaun high-fived spectators who lined up in their thousands in Belfast city centre

Belfast was awash with colour and music, with organisers describing the event as a diverse multi-cultural, cross-community celebration of Saint Patrick.

The parade, which left Belfast City Hall at 13:30 GMT, is the centrepiece of a 17-day programme of celebrations running over recent weeks.

The city's council has been hosting a series of events from the start of March, including the four-day Belfast TradFest celebration of traditional music.

Dancers, musicians and community groups were among some of those taking part in the parade.

A group of five young people - three women and two men - pose for a photo in central Belfast. Three of them are holding small green flags with a shamrock symbol. The men are wearing green framed glasses and the women are wearing fluffy green hairbands with shamrock symbols protruding from the bands.
Visitors to Belfast city centre got into the St Patrick's Day spirit with green flags and merchandise

Police in Belfast have urged everyone to enjoy the celebrations and "to act responsibly, think of others and have a great St Patrick's Day".

"If you are socialising, stay with your friends, drink responsibly and make a plan to get home safely," Ch Supt Gerard Pollock said.

He added that people should be especially "mindful of their attitudes and behaviours towards women and girls".

Police are also warning about antisocial behaviour in the university area of the city.

"We have again been working hard to highlight that the residential areas of south Belfast are not a party or nightlife destination," a statement said.

Dancers wearing golden, blue and black frocks hold sticks in the air as they dance in the street. Along the side of the route are people queued up, with photographers taking pictures.
Performers made their way through the city centre as festivities took place

Downpatrick

In Downpatrick, early risers made their way to Saul Church – believed to be St Patrick's first church in Ireland.

Among them were a group of young people from Missouri who had arrived this morning.

Leading the group was Brittany Shoemake.

"We are a church youth group and we are here for the week and we're here to serve with RIOT (Revival in our Town) in Dundrum," she said.

"We flew in today on St Patrick's Day – so what better day to come and learn about St Patrick and his life and what he means to this country?

"We'll do the communion service here then the walk to Down Cathedral. There'll be a picnic lunch and we'll celebrate the day."

Brittany Shoemake poses for a photo with a group of 23 young US tourists at Saul Church in County Down. Brittany has shoulder-length blonde hair and is wearing a white t-shirt under a black jacket. Some of the youg people are weaing padded jackets and woolen hats.
Brittany Shoemake visited Saul Church in Downpatrick with a church youth group from Missouri

Back in Downpatrick the McGrail family from Lurgan had arrived early and were among the many visitors to the patron saint's grave at Down cathedral.

"We are down from Lurgan, there is nothing on there today," their mother Grace said.

"We're down for the parade and the festival. It's more for the wee man (Rowan) that we are here," their father Darragh added.

"We were at a trad session in Killyleagh the other night and he absolutely loved it."

Thousands of people are expected to pack the town centre for the annual parade on Monday.

The Harte family with their young daughter Grainne at the base of the St Patrick's monument on Slieve Patrick. Her mother Maeve has shoulder-length straight blonde hair and is wearing a green sweatshirt and a read, white and blue tartan scarf. Grainne has short blonde hair, a beige overcoat and is holding a pine cone. Her father has short, greying hair and is wearing a navy coat and dark blue jeans.
The Harte family were among pilgrims who climbed Slieve Patrick to reach the the St Patrick monument at the top of the hill

Just a short distance away pilgrims were walking up the steep inclines of Slieve Patrick to the St Patrick monument.

Out for a family walk were three-year-old River and two year olds Freddie and Felix from Killough.

Speaking for the group River said: "I'm going up the big mountain."

The Harte family from Downpatrick were also climbing the hill.

According to mum Maeve: "This is our daughter Grainne and we thought we'd start a family tradition of bringing her up here - getting her used to her culture and to explain heritage."

A large boulder in the grounds of Down Cathedral is covered with floral tributes as the stone marks the reported burial place of St Patrick. It is surrounded by cobbled paving and is marked with a stone plaque. Other headstones are in the graveyard and the Mourne Mountains can be seen in the distance.
This large boulder in the grounds of Down Cathedral is venerated as the reported burial place of St Patrick

The town's parade, led by St Patrick, made its way through the town centre as dancers, floats and characters entertained the crowd.

Derry

Derry's parade got under way at 15:00.

Staged by the North West Carnival Initiative, it has a 'Forest, Sky and Sea' theme as Derry celebrates the arrival of spring.

A woman and two young girls dressed in colourful costumes ahead of the St Patrick's Day parade in Belfast. They are wearing matching hats and their cheeks are painted red with white spots.
This bunch were all dressed up for the Derry parade

Denis Loughlin travelled from Belfast to celebrate in the north west.

The festivities are on par with those at Halloween in Derry, he told BBC News NI.

"Like Halloween it's a great show. It has encouraged us to come up from Belfast and it is a great show."

Neville Beers said it was "buzzing" in the city as festivities got under way, and that there was "plenty for everybody".

A man is dressed in costume as St Patrick. He is wearing a tall green hat with a shamrock on its front, a fake ginger beard , a green coat and also eye glasses. He is standing in front of a number of people in similar dress, while to his right a crowd of people can be seen
Denis Loughlin said celebrations in Derry are a 'great show'

The council's head of culture, Aeidin McCarter, said the local economy would benefit from the influx of visitors to the city.

"We know our hotels are seeing an uplift this weekend with visitors coming to stay," she told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme.

"We've lots of people out and about and those people are spending money in our retail and hospitality venues."

She said the council had spent up to £30,000 in the parade and other St Patrick's Day events and hoped to increase the investment in carnivals and festivals in the coming years.

Shows a woman with dark hair in a green jack and cream top standing at the riverside with boats in the background
Aeidin McCarter, head of culture with Derry and Strabane Council, says festivals like St Patrick's Day are a great boost for the local economy

Police in the city are also encouraging people to be aware of an initiative launched in 2022 for people feeling unsafe when out socialising to discreetly signal they need help.

It works by encouraging anyone who feels at risk to ask staff in bars, pubs and clubs to Ask for Angela – that notifies bar staff to situations and allows them to step in.

"By asking for Angela, a person who may be feeling uncomfortable or feel unsafe within a licensed venue can quickly alert staff," Supt Pete Brannigan said.

Ballycastle

A group of five young girls perform Irish dancing in front of a crowd in Ballycastle. The girls all have long hair and are wearing matching black dancing costumes. They all have their hands on their hips and their right feet pointed.
Pupils from the Lír School of Irish Dancing performed to crowds on the seafront in Ballycastle

In Ballycastle, thousands turned out to support the County Antrim town's parade.

Deirdre Goodlad from Glór na Maoile, a local Irish language group, said there had not been a parade there since 2018.

A piper led participants through the town to the seafront for live music and a market.

Deirdre Goodlad is standing in front of the Ramoan Church of Ireland in Ballycastle. The sun is reflecting off the building behind her. Deirdre is wearing a blue top and glasses. She is smiling and looking directly at the camera.
Deirdre Goodlad from Irish language group Glór na Maoile is one of the Ballycastle parade organisers

Volunteers have been organising the event since January.

Ms Goodlad said: "It takes a lot of effort, but it has been worth it."

The event included schools, sporting clubs, Irish dancing groups, and musicians.

The front of the Save the Children charity shop in Ballycastle. It has green bunting and shamrocks on the window. Green items of clothing including a dress, a St Patrick's Day hat, children's clothes and toys are on display.
Ballycastle businesses decorated their shop fronts ahead of the St Patrick's Day parade

Ballycastle businesses created window displays in advance of the parade which Ms Goodlad said added to the carnival atmosphere for the community.

The parade left from the Dalriada lower carpark at 13:00.

Paula Reid, who is also on the event's steering group, said there is "something for everyone".

Paula Reid is wearing a green tee-shirt with a shamrock on it. She is smiling directly at the camera and standing in front of the Ramoan Church of Ireland building in Ballycastle. Paula has dark hair which is tied back.
Paula Reid is part of the Ballycastle Community Festival steering group and said "there will be something for everyone"

"I was inundated with lots of people coming to me asking if they could participate. It has been phenomenal."

Ms Reid said they have had a "great response and great support from local businesses and the general community".