FEILE an Phobail's Carnival Parade brought music, dance and a menagerie of animal life to the Falls Road yesterday.
The theme of this year's carnival parade was 'Beasts and Feasts' and there was certainly a feast of the former to be found among the various participants, as they began snaking their way from Conway Street to Falls Park just after midday.
The children in the parade had transformed themselves into their favourite animals via creative use of costumes, masks and face paint.
There was even a life-sized elephant on hand for the occasion - although admittedly, it was made out of papier-mâché and mounted on wheels for ease of movement.
A group of incredibly noisy Irish Wolfhounds led this year's Parade: the Irish Wolfhounds Motorcycle Club to be precise, whose enthusiastic revving at the head of the pack ensured those who lined the pavements up ahead knew the Féile parade was on its way.
The parade also featured another contingent of noisy, two-wheeled beasts in the form of a phalanx of scooter-riding mods.
Giraffes and monkeys were among the best represented mammals yesterday, with at least one cheeky chimp feeling like the King of The Jungle as he enjoyed being pushed all the way up the Falls Road on a bed as part of the Helping Hand charity's fundraiser for the Royal Belfast Hospital For Sick Children.
One of the world's most famous 'manimals', Batman, was also spotted on the Falls, greeting kids in the crowd while keeping an eye out for any would-be troublemakers.
Perhaps he had been invited by the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Arder Carson, who walked at the front of the parade with his mayoral chains proudly on display.
There was a multicultural feel to the parade thanks to the enthusiastic endeavours of African percussionists, Celtic pipers and drummers and Irish, Latin American and Middle Eastern dancers, all of whom helped keep followers and onlookers entertained with their loud and proud displays of sound and movement.
Miraculously, the rain stayed away for the duration of the hour long procession, ensuring everyone arrived at Falls Park just in time for the Féile's free Party In The Park event with dry fur/feathers.
