Thousands of people are expected in Belfast city center on Saturday to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
Lord Mayor of Belfast, Niall Ó Donnghaile, said it promised to be a fun-filled family day.
"The theme of this year's event is '2012 - one amazing year.' Belfast is in for a massive year of celebrations and important milestones and this will be the city's first big party of 2012," he said.
Thousands of revelers will also be heading to the other main parades in the North including Downpatrick, where the saint is said to be buried, Derry and Armagh.
However, in Armagh, where last year up to 20,000 people gathered, politicians have lined up to criticize the Orange Order after 40 loyalist bands were cleared to march after the main parade. Both Sinn Féin and the SDLP have said that many families will now be put off attending the official St. Patrick's Day parade in Ireland's ecclesiastical capital.
