Tynwald Day 2013: Thousands celebrate in Isle of Man

Thousands of people have gathered in St John's to celebrate Tynwald Day, the Isle of Man's national day.

It is the only day of the year when parliament is held in the open air and the public get the chance to lobby the law makers by presenting petitions.

The ancient ceremony has been held at Tynwald Hill for more than 1,000 years.

Tynwald is the world's oldest continuous parliament.

The historic day was first codified by the Manx parliament on the hill in 1417. New laws are promulgated in both English and Gaelic.

The ceremony got under way at 10:30 BST when the island's Lieutenant Governor, Adam Wood arrived in St John's.

Entertainment was held throughout the day on the including fair field.