Couples will be invited to 'marry' at the festival

The event, to celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender life, kicked off in the city on Friday.

Events include a lesbian and gay heritage trail, a carnival parade and a mass blessing for couples as part of the 'Big Weekend' on 29 August.

Portuguese Nadia Almada, the winner of reality television show Big Brother five, will appear on the entertainment stage over the festival's Big Weekend.

Nadia will appear on the main stage

Festival organisers say the 'wedding' is a chance for couples to show others how they feel about one another.

Although not an official service, each couple will receive a certificate and will be invited to a wedding party in the afternoon.

Thousands of people are expected to attend the parade, on Saturday 28 August, which will pass down Corporation Street, Cross Street, by the Town Hall, and down onto Whitworth Street and London Road.

The festival will close with the HIV Candlelit Vigil in Sackville Park on 30 August, where party goers can remember friends they have lost to the virus.