Thousands descend on city for annual Pride festival
BBCThousands have descended on Birmingham for its annual Pride parade, which kicked off on Saturday in the May sunshine.
It is one of the UK's biggest celebrations of LGBTQ+ culture, and more than 75,000 people are expected to attend the ticketed festival across the Bank Holiday weekend.
More than 6,000 people, representing more than 180 different organisations took part in the parade, which began on Victoria Street at 12:00 BST on Saturday.
"The importance of our parade today cant be overstated we've seen a significant increase in hate crime towards LGBTQ community in recent years," said Lawrence Barton, director of the event.
"To have our parade in the heart of Birmingham city with it being so visible to the wider community, I think that's really important and we should never ever take that for granted," he said.
The Pride Parade travelled through the city centre, featuring floats, music, dancing and fancy dress.
It finished at Hippodrome Square.
"This year is all about community, we've got a main stage, a cabaret marquee, a dance arena, a fun fair - all taking place in Smithfield in the heart of the Gay Village," said Barton.
Katy B and Sigala headline the main stage on Saturday, with support from drag star Danny Beard, Lynks, Booty Luv and Sweet Female Attitude among others.
The Conrad Guest Cabaret Stage on Saturday features drag and cabaret talent including Victoria Scone from RuPaul's Drag Race UK.
Meanwhile, the Dance Arena features sets from Jaguar and Arthi.
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