The event marked the beginning of the nine-day festival
Pic: Press Eye
Pic: Press Eye
Pic: Press Eye
Pic: Press Eye
Revellers dance around a PSNI officer during the Mela Carnival. Pic: Press Eye
Pic: Press Eye
Pic: Press Eye
Thousands lined the streets of Belfast on Saturday as the first day of the annual Mela festival got underway in the city.
First launched in 2007, the festival is organised by cultural organisation ArtsEkta and brings together music, dance, arts and food from across the world to celebrate Belfast’s cultural diversity.
Last year’s festival attracted a record-breaking crowd of almost 60,000 visitors.
Pic: Press Eye
This year’s programme kicked off with the Mela Carnival, which was held for its fourth consecutive year and was led by Deputy Lord Mayor Paul Doherty.
Participants in traditional dress paraded from Writer’s Square to City Hall, where a ‘Mini Mela’ celebration took place, hosted by U105’s Carolyn Stewart and UTV’s Paul Reilly.
Revellers dance around a PSNI officer during the Mela Carnival. Pic: Press Eye
Belfast city councillors Séamas de Faoite of the SDLP and the Alliance Party’s Micky Murray and Emmet McDonough-Brown also took part in the parade.
An outdoor theatre production was also held on the lawn at City Hall, while a series of events also took place across the city’s Cathedral Quarter.
Pic: Press Eye
Several events are also planned across the nine-day span of the festival, which culminates in Mela Day at 12pm on Sunday August 24.
Pic: Press Eye
Why is the M3 closed this weekend ?
Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the celebration of sights, sounds, tastes and traditions of Belfast’s multicultural community.
Pic: Press Eye
Tickets are required for the Mela Day and are available from the Belfast Mela website.
Pic: Press Eye
Pic: Press Eye