New incarnation of Love Parade coming to Berlin this weekend

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  • Featuring around 150 DJs, Rave The Planet will be the event's first major edition in Berlin in more than 15 years.
  • New incarnation of Love Parade coming to Berlin this weekend image
  • Rave The Planet, a new incarnation of legendary techno demonstration Love Parade, is taking place in Berlin on Saturday, July 9th, and 10th. Featuring around 150 DJs, the event will be the first major Love Parade edition in Berlin in more than 15 years. It will travel seven kilometres across the German capital, from Kurfürstendamm to Großer Stern, where the final rally will take place. "This isn't a revival—it's a new beginning," Dr. Motte, one of the figureheads behind Rave The Planet, told Resident Advisor. "Leave your expectations behind and let's create something new—together again. We made a conscious decision to have a demonstration-only march this year, without a main stage, completely back to the roots. Like the early Love Parades at the beginning of the 1990s. This is how we would like to continue the tradition: honest, from the heart and made by ravers, for ravers." As well as returning to Love Parade's origins, Dr. Motte added, the event will also be a "political demonstration" to show support for the preservation of electronic dance music culture. DJs such as Juan Atkins, Daniel Boon, Luigi Madonna, Last Robots, Samantha Togni, Techno Anarchist and Stephanie Sykes will perform on floats representing Berlin, Sweden, Belgium, Estonia, Poland, Ukraine and the Netherlands, among others. There will also be a UK float, run by Save Our Scene. Political demands in English and German will sound every hour on the hour. They'll include demands to recognise electronic music as a cultural asset; to protect clubs and venues; to provide unconditional basic income for artists and cultural workers; and to acknowledge "the International Day of Electronic Music" as a new public holiday. According to Dr. Motte, Rave The Planet as a "vision" was already a major part of the original Love Parade ethos in 1989 when the idea was born to inspire other countries to organise similar events. Love Parade ran every year in Berlin until 2003. It was held again in 2006 after German fitness chain McFit purchased the brand name. "The original spirit of the Love Parade hasn't been present since 2003," said Dr. Motte. "It's now time to reactivate this spirit and make it experienceable for all." Love Parade continued across Germany and around the world until it was cancelled after 21 people died in a crush at the Duisburg edition in 2010. Dr. Motte said the association representing the victims of the disaster declined to host a commemorative event at Rave The Planet. "Those affected didn't want to be reminded of the disaster because of the post-traumatic stress they've experienced," he told RA. He added: "We also want to make it clear that neither I nor anyone else here on the team had anything to do with the 2010 Duisburg disaster." He said he publicly distanced himself from that event's organiser McFit—which was also behind the 2006 Berlin event—and "left the Love Parade GmbH five years ago." Several afterparties will take place across Berlin over the weekend, including events at Kesselhaus, Oft Hafen and Anomalie Art Club. (See the event listings below for more information.) On Sunday, a clean-up day is planned. The meeting point is 11 AM CET at Brandenburg Gate. Rave The Planet has been planned and coordinated in collaboration with the Berlin Fire Department and the Berlin Police. Stewards, medical services providing first aid and an awareness team will be positioned along the entire route. For more information, head to the website.
    Photo: Arne Müseler





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