Twelfth of July celebrations have begun across Northern Ireland.
Tens of thousands are taking to the streets across the North for the traditional Orange Order parades.
The festivities will be spread across 19 main locations to mark the 334th anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne, when the Protestant King William of Orange triumphed over the Catholic King James II.
An Orange Order feeder parade passed the Ardoyne shops in north Belfast without incident on Saturday.
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DUP leader Gavin Robinson will address the parade in Belfast while Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly will deliver a speech at the Lisburn parade.
The Twelfth celebrations come after the burning of bonfires at an estimated 300 locations in loyalist neighbourhoods across the region on Thursday and Friday nights.
Firefighters in Northern Ireland said they dealt with a challenging night as bonfires were lit ahead of the Twelfth of July celebrations.
[ NI firefighters deal with ‘challenging night’ ahead of July 12th paradesOpens in new window ]
While most of the bonfires passed off peacefully, there was condemnation after effigies of migrants in a boat were burned on a bonfire in Moygashel, Co Tyrone.
Pictures of the rap band Kneecap and Irish flags were also burned on other pyres.
But the most contentious bonfire was located on a site containing asbestos and close to an electricity sub station off the Donegall Road in south Belfast.
The bonfire at Meridi Street, off the Donegall Road, had been the focus of health warnings, political rows and legal challenges throughout the week before it was lit on Friday night.
Northern Ireland’s environment minister Andrew Muir has said he is disappointed that the bonfire was lit despite the warnings.
“Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) staff monitored events last night along with statutory partners throughout the night,” he said.
“We will be engaging with other statutory partners in the coming days as we all assess the impact of the bonfire.
“NIEA will also focus on the efforts by the landowner to remove the asbestos pile safely from the site in the time ahead and the environmental crime investigation will continue.
“As I have already stated, a review must also be undertaken looking at lessons that can be learned involving all statutory partners.”
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said it dealt with 72 bonfire related incidents across the evening.
One firefighter was attacked while attending a bonfire in Lisburn, Co Antrim.
NIFRS area commander Andy Burns said: “Between 6pm 11 July and 2am 12 July 2025, we received 277 emergency 999 calls.
“This resulted in our firefighters attending 194 operational incidents, 72 of which were bonfire related. Peak activity was between 10pm and 1am.
“During this period, the number of emergency calls received increased by 154 per cent when compared to 2024.
“It was a challenging and extremely busy night for NIFRS with an increase in demand for our regional control centre and emergency response,” he said.
“Disappointingly, a firefighter was attacked while attending a bonfire in Lisburn. They were not injured and remained on duty.
“This was an isolated incident and not reflective of the support shown to firefighters in carrying out their duties across the evening.”
Of all the loyal order parades to take place on Saturday, around 30 have been officially categorised as sensitive by the Parades Commission.
Locations of sensitive parades this year include Belfast, Coleraine, Keady, Dunloy, Rasharkin, Strabane, Newtownabbey, Maghera, Newtownbutler, Portadown, Glengormley and Bellaghy.
More than 4,000 police officers and police staff will be working on July 12th.
On the 11th night, around 1,200 officers were deployed to monitor public safety at bonfires.
The cost of policing parades and bonfires in Northern Ireland through spring and summer was £6.1 million last year, a figure that was up £1.5 million on the previous year.
The bill, which covers the period April 1 to August 31, also includes the cost of policing republican commemorations around Easter and events to mark the mid-August anniversary of the introduction of internment without trial during the Troubles.
The PSNI expects the costs in 2025 to be higher still. This is due to falling police numbers and the resultant increased reliance on paying overtime to ensure enough officers are on duty for the events.
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has urged mutual respect in the marking of events.
“Our officers will be on the ground throughout the weekend, working in partnership with community leaders, event organisers, and local representatives to support lawful, peaceful, and family-friendly events. However where necessary, we will take firm and proportionate action to keep people safe,” he said.
“Our priority remains the safety and wellbeing of everyone.”
On Sunday morning, an Orange Order parade has been permitted to pass Ardoyne shops in north Belfast restricted to one band and 50 members of the order. It is a return parade at a former flashpoint which traditionally took place on the evening of July 12th often resulting in violent scenes.
The traditional July 13th events organised by the Royal Black Preceptory in the village of Scarva, Co Armagh will take place on Monday.
The event includes a parade as well as a sham fight between actors playing rival monarchs William and James.
Meanwhile, police have said they are treating an attack on an Orange Hall in Co Antrim as a sectarian hate crime.
Shortly after 1.20am on Saturday, it was reported that paint had been thrown over the front of the building in the Main Street of Rasharkin and graffiti daubed on walls opposite.
The attack happened just hours before a Twelfth of July parade was due to take place in the town.
PSNI Superintendent Sinead McIldowney said: “We are treating this criminal damage as a sectarian-motivated hate crime.
“The police service condemns all sectarian hate crime and criminal damage caused to any property is absolutely unacceptable.” - PA
