SWITZERLAND
ZURICH 2005
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ALL ABOUT SWITZERLAND |
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STREETPARADE ZURICH 2005 |
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Zurich August, 13th 2005Zurich's street parade is world's largest techno music event: more than 800 dj's and 32 lovemobiles [trucks with open dance floors and sound equipment] from Switzerland, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain attracted once again more than one million visitors. Like the Loveparade in Berlin, Germany, Zurich's street parade goes back to the early 1990's. Following the legendary 1968 students' protests and the "movement for autonomy" in 1980 one might have expected that the generation of 1992 would also bring their protest to the streets, but nothing happened. - To be more precise: something different happened: The first Streetparade in 1992 was planned and promoted by students as a "Demonstration für Liebe, Frieden, Freiheit, Grosszügigkeit und Toleranz" [Demonstration for love, peace, liberty, generosity and tolerance]. Only some 1000 people participated. Electronic music was a major means of expressing a philosophy of life. Insofar techno street parades are in a sense political without using "classical" ways of expressing political views. |
 Still demonstrating for peace & love (2005) |
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In 1993 there were already about 10,000 participants and in 1994 Zurich's local authorities first wanted to ban the event, but finally had to give in to the city population supporting the Streetparade with strong protests. By 2001 the event had reached the size of 1 million participants. So the street parade has become a local institution within a few years.
Berlin's Loveparade soon ran into major problems with business owners along the route and with littering, the number of participants declined from 1.5 million in 1999 to half a million in 2003. In Zurich, on the other hand, the route is scenic on the lakeside, but does not interfere with local business and many volunteers cooperate closely with the local authorities to take care of the waste inevitably produced by the masses.
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| Beyond compare: performance of the professional dance group matchless (Hünenberg ZG, Switzerland). | |
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Everybody knows that abuse of illegal drugs is widespread among ravers (techno music fans), especially during parties at week-ends. Though the organizing committee of Zurich's Streetparade is very outspoken against drug abuse (see poster on every lovemobile, left photo), there are a few cases of intoxicated people that have to be brought to a hospital every year. While dealing and consuming drugs is still illegal in Switzerland, discussing on lifting the ban is perfectly legal in a democratic society (picture on the right: activist discussing peacefully with policemen). |
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