Electronic music and technology celebrated
By Anna Callaghan
It's no Bay to Breakers, but San Francisco's LovEvolution is akin in spirit and fashion to the insane event that occurs every May.
LovEvolution is derived from the original Loveparade that takes place in Berlin and has been taking place for six years on the streets of San Francisco. Previously the event was known as LoveFest, but organizers were compelled to change the name in order to avoid legal action with a similarly named festival that takes place in Los Angeles. Last year the festival attracted over 100,000 people and included a parade of over thirty floats, while also raising money for multiple non-profit organizations, according to their Web site, sflovevolution.org. The focus of the event can be summarized in a quote by a Dr. Motte who founded Loveparade in Berlin: "This is our future. Open your heart... Free your mind...Face your fears...Live your soul... Dance!"
Organizers planned for over twenty-five floats to serve as a stage for the celebration of community, tolerance, peace and love. In addition to the parade, there was an afterparty featuring a lineup of various artists as well as multiple venues that hosted other groups of performers. The mission of LovEvolution was to produce a celebration of electronic music, culture and technology, in the belief that dance promotes peace, love, unity and respect.
The festival serves the electronic dance music community by organizing public events, presenting electronic art forms and generating funds to support artistic development. It also advances music education and production, as well as the right to dance, says their Web site. LovEvolution is an in-your-face example of facing conflict and current realities head on. Instead of shying away from these, the festival encourages individuals to face them together as a community and to inspire and motivate the youth population.
The festival displayed its hospitality as well as its popularity by providing special hotel and airfare discounts and offers in order to accommodate those who required travel to participate.
The event took place in downtown San Francisco this past Saturday, beginning around noon and lasting until 8 p.m. This year there was a ten dollar access fee to get into the Civic Center festival grounds in order to account for the higher city-related fees. San Francisco LovEvolution is now the largest electronic music event in the nation.
Contact Anna Callaghan at acallaghan@scu.edu or (408) 554-1918.