A PARTY atmosphere swept through the city as thousands of people turned out for Hull Carnival.
The city centre was awash with colour as bagpipe players led the Lord Mayor's Parade through the streets.
From Chinese pantomime costumes to a horse and carriage, the parade was a mix of international cultures and traditions.
Lord Mayor of Hull Councillor Nadine Fudge sat proudly in the horse and carriage as the procession travelled around the one-mile circuit before finishing outside Hull College.
"It was brilliant to see so many people turn out on what was a lovely day," she said.
"It makes you so proud and honoured to see the efforts people have gone to, to be part of the parade.
"The colours, the costumes – everything was fantastic and it is great to see the city buzzing with people.
"I am very much looking forward to my year as Lord Mayor and this is a great way to start it."
A Chinese lion, which travelled from Singapore to be part of the carnival, was one of the main attractions of the parade.
With its bright red fur and dazzling jewels, it was an eye-catching spectacle in the spring sunshine.
Making the beast roar were Paul Serghiou, 25, and Sarah Curry, 34, of Hull-based Apus Produ- ctions.
Sarah said: "It is great to be part of something like this and nice to see so many different people and acts coming together for a big celebration.
"There are a lot of different talents hidden away in Hull, and the parade allows them to be shown."
The parade also included dancers, Hull's Angels Roller Dames and a blood donor car being towed around the course.
Charles Huckvale and Liz Dees put together the star attractions of the parade – two giant musical birds.
The creations were designed to be birds from Papa New Guinea and Fiji – two teams competing in the city in this year's Rugby League World Cup.
Charles, 39, of west Hull, said: "We all really enjoyed being part of the parade. It was good fun.
"The highlight was seeing the faces of the kids light up when you come round the corner – that's what makes it for me.
"Having the streets all lined with people meant it was great atmosphere.
"We wanted to be a part of the parade right from the start, so we approached a few people for funding and we managed to put together the two birds.
"It was good fun putting together the birds and hopefully everyone enjoyed seeing them flying around the city."
The birds were built around shopping trolleys donated by Asda and included makeshift musical instruments.
Suzie Ramsbottom, community life champion at Asda in Hessle Road, was delighted to be part of the celebrations.
She said: "It is projects like this we are always looking to get involved in and it has been great to be part of this year's parade."
The parade was the highlight of a day of celebrations across the city centre.
Queen's Gardens hosted a range of family activities, including BMX demonstrations, crazy golf and Hull KR rugby skills tests, while Hull City Hall hosted the Young People's International Arts Festival Cool-ture.
Julie Adamson, 44, travelled from Beverley with her daughters Lindsey, 12, and Sophie, 9, to be part of the day.
"It is a really good atmosphere and it is great to see so many people out supporting the day," she said.
"It is the first time we have been to the carnival and we will certainly be coming back again, especially if the weather is this good."
The colourful events in the city centre also coincided with the Powerboat P1 Grand Prix of the Sea, which featured Esteem chief executive Sam Whitaker's brainchild One Hull Of A Boat.
With events going on in all corners the city, it was a weekend that put more fire in the city's hopes of becoming the European City of Culture 2017.
