The Loveparade is dead, long live The Loveparade




Fight The Power demonstration, Berlin July 10, 2004

Ever since 2001, when a constitutional court ruling denied the the Loveparade it's status as a political demonstraion, it's financing has been shaky. Prior to that ruling, the city of Berlin had to bear the cost of cleaning up the mess after the Parade. Now, the organizers are responsible. The net cost is close to 1 million euros which in the years after the ruling was covered by sponsors. While that may have made the parade even more commercial than before, it could take place and still attracted between 500,000 and 1 million people. However, when more and more sponsors withdrew in the midst of an economic downturn, the 2004 Loveparade was in serious jeopardy. A frantic search for new sponsors ensued and the city of Berlin was begged for help. To no avail. Shortsighted city officials were unwilling to cover the remaining financing gap of about 300,000 euros. In May 2004 the final announcement proclamied the death of the Loveparade 2004.

Yet the party community rose to the challenge. The Berlin clubs introduced the 'Loveweek' to celebrate electronic music without the Parade, which had formed the basis for a massive party and DJ ine-up in the week leading up to and including the LP weekend.

What's more, the party magazine Partysan officially registered a political demonstration for the date of the cancelled Loveparade. Under the motto "Fight the Power – Clubculture vs Ignorance" it called all party people to demonstrate in Berlin against ignorance and bigotry vis-a-vis the clubculture and for the return of the Loveparade.

The demonstration started Saturday afternoon, July 10, 2004 with 5 small music trucks and one large political truck, from which speeches were to be held. And it rained. The crowd of about 1,000-2,000 people that showed up seemed a little small and given the rain hpoes for more didn't seem too realistic at that point. Yet the general mood was one of optimism and determination. After the first speech the music started and the march began moving, people following the trucks, dancing, screaming, hadns in the air. Saturday shoppers looked on in mild bewilderment. As the march progressed, the sun decided to turn a friendly eye on the protesters and the crowd continued to swell. By the end the march was massive and reached 10,000 to 20,000 people, depending on who's estimate it was. The march was interrupted several times for more speeches from the main truck, each enticing cheers and sneers form the crowd. The growing crowd produced a vibe that hasn't been experienced in such intensity since the old days of the techno movement. It was a truly back to the roots happening. The whole thing was such a PLURry affair, though that term was enver expressly used, it engrossed everyone, making the participants that one large family again that it had almost forgotten to be.

My personal perception of the demonstration was that of an experience of a lifetime. The intense vibe sent chills down my spine, gave me goosebumps countless times. When Paul van Dyk, towards the end, played 'For An Angel', that beautiful tune with such meaning to this demonstraion, it marked the unsurpassed high point of the march and the entire weekend.

The undisputable success of this demonstration forcefully made the point that techno is by no means dead, that the party community still stadns for its values, that it can pull off a politically meaningful demonstration and a draw sizeable crowds without commercial background and support.

Long live the Loveparade.

___________________
Sigs are too much work for me.

GTA#34
Efficiency is the key to successful laziness. (R.A.)
45rpm