The first of an expected 1,000 young people arrived in Knock shrine, Co Mayo, yesterday for a Summer Youth Festival which is being billed as a religious rival to music festivals such as Oxegen.
Rock music, Gospel-style and a soccer tournament are some of the elements of the festival which concludes on Sunday.
It is being run in association with Knock Youth Ministry. Members of the organisation have been very busy over the last six months travelling around Ireland promoting the festival which is aimed at 16 to 35-year-olds.
The highlight of the weekend will be a ceremony of reconciliation and healing in the shrine's Chapel of Reconciliation at 8.15pm tomorrow.
Yvonne Murray, regional leader of Youth 2,000 Ulster, said the festival would be a mixture of prayer, fun, music and drama.
More than 500 festival-goers had registered online for the event up to yesterday.