- On Saturday, the Street Parade took place in the city of Zurich for the 30th time.
- According to the organizers, around 920,000 people took part.
- Among them were prominent visitors: Federal President Alain Berset celebrated on a Lovemobile.
- According to police, the move was mostly peaceful.
Just in time for the start of the Technoparade at 2 p.m., it stopped raining and the sun came out again. Around 30 Lovemobiles drove slowly around the Zurich lake basin. People danced exuberantly to the thumping bass in sometimes shrill or skimpy outfits.
Alain Berset, a member of the Federal Council, mingled with the party people for the first time. «I like the music very much. I know electronic music – at least a part,” said the Federal President.
With the visit he wanted to pay tribute to the Street Parade. “It is the biggest cultural event in Switzerland. Almost a million people are here celebrating peacefully.”
Before he danced on one of the Lovemobiles, the culture minister met the people behind the techno move. He also had the security system explained to him. “It’s organized extremely professionally,” Berset praised the organizers. He wishes the Street Parade a “long life” for the future.
Because the rush along the approximately two-kilometer parade route was too great, the revelers had to be temporarily diverted in the afternoon. The route was largely closed to traffic in advance, and public transport in the city of Zurich was also severely restricted.
Finally, music was played on the Lovemobiles and the eight stages until midnight. After that, there were dozens of parties in Zurich clubs.
The 30th edition of the Street Parade in pictures
The Zurich security and rescue services were deployed on a large scale. As the city police announced on Sunday, they arrested 41 people for various crimes, 35 men and six women. The arrests were made for, among other things, robbery, assault, threats, violence and threats against officials, theft or drug trafficking. Many people reported theft, for example because strangers had snatched jewelry from them. For the most part, the event was peaceful from the point of view of the police.
According to the Zurich Protection and Rescue Service, 615 people had to be treated, mostly because of cuts and abrasions as well as alcohol or narcotics abuse. The figures are in line with the previous year.
42 people were admitted to the hospital. The rescue services recorded six serious injuries. For example, an 18-year-old fell about five meters from a platform in a club onto the floor of a bar on the ground floor. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Eventful history of the dance demo
In the early days, the Street Parade was much smaller. Around 1000 people took part in the first edition in 1992. They demonstrated celebrating love, peace, freedom, generosity and tolerance. The event was initiated by Marek Krynski, who was a mathematics student at the time.
The following year it was tens of thousands. That displeased the then police chief Robert Neukomm. “This event is simply too big for downtown Zurich. You have to take more into account, »he said at the time.
The government banned the Street Parade in 1994, unintentionally helping it to become even more successful. The indignation was enormous. In the end, more than 30,000 people danced through Zurich – around 590,000 fewer than this year.