Berlin’s Love Parade
A raver revival? Why not? It’s only been two years since “Love Rules” paraded through town. No, it’s not the Bird Flu. This is a completely different kind of bug. It’s the Love Parade Virus, and it’s spreading rapidly in Berlin at the moment. There is no known antivirus, either. Which is perhaps for the best, because those infected do not seem to be seeking a cure.
The Love Parade originated in Berlin during that important Wende (Transition) year of 1989. It soon grew in popularity and became an established annual event. Then it went on to spread all over the world, from Santiago to Tel Aviv. Highly contagious, the Love Parade was originally planned to be a political demonstration for peace and international understanding through electronic music, but it quickly morphed into one of the biggest moveable parties on the planet.
Relatively small at first, the parade was held on Berlin’s famous KurfÃ?¼rstendamm until 1996. Its growing popularity and international flair soon created difficult logistical problems, however, and the next locale became the StraÃ?Â?e des 17. Juni and Berlin’s Tiergarten. There at the end of the StraÃ?Â?e des 17. Juni, the SiegessÃ?¤ule (Victory Column), not too far from the Brandenburg Gate, the masses and the music convene – the SiegessÃ?¤ule has now even become the unofficial symbol of the Love Parade.
It is an extremely loud affair, Berlin’s “Festival of Love”, and certainly more crowded than any concert or other public event you may have ever been to. Over a million participants took part in 1997, the peak of the Love Parade craze you might say, and paraders travel here from all over the world to attend.
Despite the mass audience, financing this monster has been a major difficulty from day one and is the main reason for the recent hibernation it was forced to endure. The party is free, of course, and it hasn’t been easy for the organizers to develop the reliable, commercial basis to keep the masses moving. And Berlin city authorities have often been anything but enthusiastic about the results of the event. The masses of stomping feet have wreaked havoc upon the Tiergarten, the green lung of the city center. Matters were complicated all the more when organizers were made responsible for all security and cleanup costs, but most of these issues have been settled long ago.
The Love Parade defines itself through wailing Techno music and the elaborate floats which slowly progress along the established parade course. These floats, nothing more than elaborately decorated flatbed trucks, blast out multi-megawatt soundtracks in their paths and are also promotional “vehicles” for local businesses like stores, clubs, labels etc. The ecstatic dancers riding upon them, often lightly dressed (if at all) due to the heat and, well, other reasons, have also become somewhat of a trademark of the parade. It’s a movable Techno music festival. In other words, you can either “go stationary” and find your place to dance as the music parades by you or parade along with the truck of your choice.
Yes, exhibitionist tendencies are not at all uncommon here. And the premium on space has led to lots of sitting and dancing in the trees, or on sign posts or lanterns or phone booths. But the Berlin police authorities are generally very tolerant to people having such a good time and ugly incidents or serious injuries have been few and far between here.
And the party will be talking off this coming July 15th. This year’s Love Parade will be placing an even greater emphasis on the international music scene. The floats will be representing an international who’s who of club culture from all around the world. The Love Parade itself will be financing the floats this time, leaving participation also open to groups with less financial muscle. Thanks to a million Euro contribution made by a local fitness chain, the Love Parade’s financial worries are over – for this year, at least.
The world’s biggest electronic dance floor will be open for business this summer. And if you haven’t contracted the Love Parade Virus yet, take a look at the link below for more. But be warned: All victims infected are experiencing an advanced form of the Love Parade Infection. It seems to have become resistant to normal treatment. But that shouldn’t be a surprise. Most here claim that its victims don’t want to be treated normally anymore anyway!
