Annual gay parade was held in Zurich about 2 months ago. Summer brings many festivals in various areas, and this is another unique and large-scaled festival to be noted.
Every year, on the 2nd Saturday of August, this Street Parade is held.
Originally it was the Love Parade in Berlin, however, since it started in Zurich in 1992, the parade has become bigger and bigger every year. Now it is known as the biggest European techno & dance parade.
The year 2004 recorded the number of audience as many as 1 million. This year, heavy rain continued throughout the day, and the cold weather discouraged some people or some returned home early, we hear. However, 600,000 people all over the world gathered together for this day. Just for your information, the population of Zurich is 360,000.
This year’s catch phrase was STILL HAVE A DREAM !
Stefan Epli, the Communication Director, mentioned in his statement to appeal, by quoting the words from “I have a dream” by Martin Luther King, “Although this is the speech made many many years before the street parade was born, we are still fighting for the same goal 18 years later. (an omission) The Street Parade is a demonstration for love, peace, freedom and tolerance.” Is it just to reflect the current age?067-b-jpg67
It started near the Opera House, and 27 showy trucks called Love Mobiles moved along the Lake Zurich. These are the moving stages, the signatures of the Street Parade.
Charismatic DJs from Switzerland, Japan, USA and European countries, rode each mobile and the artists and dancers performed hot live stages, screaming and dancing.
The audience called Ravers blended together in the Parade, linking each mibile, screaming and dancing in the same way, and moved on in the heavy sound.
Just before heading to the opposite side of the lake, as the parade was getting closer to Bürkliplatz, where the center stage of the highlight was located, the crazy excitement got crazier and the tention was skyrocketing.
Usually the young people in Zurich seem to be polite and orderly to me, but on this day, they loosened up together with the guests from overseas. Parties continued to the following morning all over Zurich
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By the way, the spectacular sight you cannot miss of the Street Parade is outrageous fashion, or costumes I should say, as more appropriate term.
While the Japanese girls’ fashion is now exported to Paris or Milan these days, the Japanese may be accustomed to little surprises. However, seeing such people all over town was surely bizarre.
Gender, age, occupation, or whatever, it was borderless. The young and the old, as well as the middle-aged, joined the parade. Straight tolerance, telling forget about metabolism, was openly welcomed by smiles.
When asked for pictures, most of them gave certain pose right away. I wonder where they practice how to pose. It was fun to have pictures taken with them, but I fear once you enjoy that moment, it may become habitual.
Well, you never know. You may find me somewhere in this parade next year.
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Click here to see more aggressive costumes
http://www.streetparade.ch
Click here to see more aggressive costumes.
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