TEN thousand people are to be invited to a huge Diamond Jubilee party when the Queen visits Belfast later this month.
The event will be held in the grounds of Parliament Buildings, Stormont, on June 27, the Northern Ireland Office has announced.
First Minister Peter Robinson last night welcomed confirmation of the event as “a fantastic celebration of Her Majesty the Queen’s reign in Northern Ireland”.
He added: “As this will be an iconic, unprecedented and historic Royal occasion we expect there will be exceptional demand for tickets.”
Details on how the 10,000 free tickets are to be distributed to the public will be released next week.
Representatives from youth organisations, the emergency services, government departments, local councils, health trusts, ex-service associations and education and library boards are also being invited.