WATCH: Birmingham Pride festival an arresting sight

Birmingham Pride took place over the weekend in glorious sunshine, making the city's 20th anniversary carnival an unforgettable spectacle.

Police estimated that about 30,000 people flocked to the gay quarter of the city centre on Saturday.

Crowds lined the streets as the carnival kicked off with a noisy procession which snaked down Victoria Square to Hurst Street via New Street, High Street, Moor Street Queensway and Smallbrook Queensway to the sounds of disco hits, trumpets, whistles and drumbeat.

Organisers say that about 6,000 people took part in the parade.

Festival director Lawrence Barton said the theme, A Generation of Pride, was aimed at acknowledging the achievements in LGBT equality over the last two decades.

Milestones have included winning marriage equality and an equal age of consent, he said.

The event, which featured more than 100 performers and DJs, was also celebrating the development of Birmingham's own gay scene from a handful of venues to one of the most popular in the country.

The first Pride event in Birmingham in 1997 was staged outside the Nightingale Club and attracted several thousand people.

The location has been extended over the years to become an established gay village with 15 bars and clubs. The roadworks' barriers at the end of Hurst Street were removed to allow the procession access to the festivities.

Among local celebrities taking part were reality TV star White Dee who was busy pulling pints at the Davenports mobile bar.

Performing at the event were Voice winner Kevin Simm and Liberty X on Saturday, and X Factor's Mason Noise, Lisa Stansfield and Erasure's Andy Bell yesterday.

As well as fun, the festival was also a chance to highlight causes in the LGBT community.

Among the revellers were a banner-waving group calling for universal rights for people in Uganda.