PalQ

Berlin's infamous Love Parade ("I met her at the Love Parade...&quot has been reincarnated after a two year hiatus and this past Saturday, attracting several hundred thousand mainly europeans to what is billed as the world's largest dance party (and perhaps drug and booze party as well).

PalQ

the Love Parade was founded in 1989 and was actually a political demonstration and attracted about 150 people. since then attendance mushroomed and some 8.8 million attendees have been counted since, until 2003, the last time the parade was held. Attendance peaked in 1999 when 1.5 million visitors thronged the Tiergarten, where the parade ends and the debauchery begins. In 2001 the government yanked the Love Parade's political demonstration status and thus the parade itself, not the government, became liable for security and maintenane costs that had previously been footed by the government as it does for bona fide political demonstrations. This caused a serious squeeze on funds and many backers pulled out - indeed in 2004 the plug itself was pulled as not enough funds could be gathered to support continuance of one of the world's largest events. But in 2006 the owner of the McFit fitness chain in Germany decided to take over sponsorship as a way of getting his company's name known across Europe - he donated much of the money needed to get the parade back on the streets this year. Organizers hope to build it again into the mega parade that it was.
www.loveparade.net

PalQ

But all is not LOVE with the Loveparade--- its father, Berlin-based DJ Dr Motte - is a vocal critic of this year's Loveparade, saying: "This year's Loveparade is not true to the event's original message of peace and international understanding thru music"
"We wanted to show people a new, peaceful life, under the umbrella of music, everything is much easier."
DJ Motte plans to be out of Berlin during this year's Loveparade!

ggreen

Thanks PalQ for posting this! I was wondering what was going on when I saw a photo of a guy at Love Parade on the Yahoo News homepage yesterday. I didn't know it had been restarted... It's a shame that the message has been changed from "peace" and "tear down the Wall" to commercialism. But to be honest it seemed more a commercial-sponsored party than a love-fest when I went...

We went to Love Parade in 2001. After we arrived in Germany, we found out that it was on after the government had first said it would be canceled, so we spontaneously hopped a train from Hamburg to experience it! It was **crazy**, waaay many more people in the Tiergarten than I have ever seen for New Years in Times Square (even in the old unregulated days). And that was off the peak from 1999? Wow.

The Tiergarten and parade route were pretty trashed, and you could see where the government would be concerned about cleaning up and also salvaging the greenery of the Tiergarten. (It seems everyone drinks out of glass in Germany, so lots of glass shards everywhere!)

Anyway, thanks for the update!

PalQ

ggreen - thanks for your comments and relaying your experience. I've never been to the Loveparade but love these type of events - peace, love and dope, being a child of the 60s myself. But it's the ideals not the sensory pleasures that i love about these type of communal events.
Meanwhile DJ Motte (aka Matthias Roeingh) laments about McFit taking over control thru their sponsorship -
"Mr Schaller (McFit chairman) is a businessman...he doesn't know what the Loveparade is. The Loveparade is about healing society thru music and nonverbal communication. It's not a marketing parade."