The streets of central London were awash with colour as hundreds of thousands of people joined the annual Pride parade.
The capital was filled with rainbows and glitter on Saturday afternoon, in what has been hailed as Britain's biggest and most diverse Pride parade yet.
Organisers predicted up to 1.5 million people would turn out for the event.
From midday some 600 groups, a 25 per cent increase on last year, began marching through the streets for the annual burst of colour, music and dance.
Actors Sir Ian McKellen and Simon Callow were both pictured at the event, while the Red Arrows performed a stunning aerial display above London.
As he launched the parade, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the "heartbreaking" pictures of a bloodied lesbian couple attacked on a night bus showed the importance of Pride.
Melanie Geymonat and her partner Chris were beaten up by a group of young men for refusing to kiss in May, with the incident sparking public outcry.
Mr Khan said the "huge, huge progress" in gay rights should be celebrated, but added "we must never be complacent".
The annual parade started at Portland Place and moved down Oxford Circus, passing along Regent Street, through Piccadilly Circus to Pall Mall and passing Trafalgar Square before finishing up on Whitehall.
Joseph Canestrala, dressed in a blow-up unicorn costume, said: "I'm from southern Italy and the mentality there is so closed. I came to London five years ago because I want to be free."
The 28-year-old chef added: "You meet more people. It's more open, you can find a partner. Every year I come to Pride. I love it."
Prime Minister Theresa May posted a video on Twitter in support of Pride.
She said: "Pride season is always a high point of the summer.
"It's a chance to celebrate the huge contribution that LGBT people of all backgrounds make to our national life.”
This year's festival came 50 years since the Stonewall uprising in New York - a moment which changed the face of the gay rights movement around the world.
Parade groups honoured five decades of activism, protests and victories, and those behind this year's march said it was an opportunity for people to stand up against bigotry and hatred in all its forms.
This year's parade aimed to champion diversity, with the introduction of a new World Area at Golden Square in Soho, in a bid to increase the visibility of black, Asian and minority ethnic (Bame) LGBT+ people.
