Upcoming LoveFest parade brings music to San Francisco
By Molly Gore
A crowd of 65,000 punctuated by neon spandex, golden nipple tassels, tie-dye, sequins, leather and feathers fill Market Street in San Francisco every year at the electronic dance parade LoveFest this Saturday.
Modeled after Berlin's world famous Loveparade, San Francisco's LoveFest is America's largest dance music celebration that features top international DJs spinning electronic house, techno, trance, break, drum, bass and hip-hop beats.
The objective of the parade is to provide an inclusive, unifying celebration of essential human values through music and dance, according to the LoveFest San Francisco official Web site.
The creators of LoveFest believe in the "universal vibe" of dance music that brings people together in a special way. The Web site states: "We know that in a culture awash with conflict, materialism, superficial concerns and greed, an event of this kind can lift the spirits and the hopes of those who to surrender to its power. The power of dance. The power of music. The power of community."
The parade happens Saturday, but the LoveWeek celebrations last from Wednesday through Sunday. The opening parties and LoveFest Dinner happen earlier in the week, but this upcoming Friday features the official pre-party, hosting The Chemical Brothers at The Concourse. On Saturday, the parade proceeds down Market Street and ultimately merges with the dance party that has already begun outside of City Hall.
"LoveFest is about expressing yourself in any way you want to -- through music, clothing, no clothing, any way at all," said sophomore Page Nichols, who attended last year.
The attendees at LoveFest are more than spectators; they are part of the show. Last year featured 23 floats, 25 sound systems and over 200 DJs spinning en route to Civic Center Plaza where the parade culminated in an after-party that showcased the talents of Grandmaster Flash and Paul Oakenfold. Highlights in this year's line-up include performances by Gabriel & Dresden, Infected Mushroom, Ladytron, Future Funk Squad and The Crystal Method.
"It's a great way to see the City; it's very unique to San Francisco," said sophomore Jamie Ryan.
The tradition of social-norm-breaking at LoveFest reappears every year in the form of outrageous and colorful costumes, unconventional dancing, atypical floats and a collective dance party in front of the City Hall.
"It felt like I was on a cultural acid trip," said sophomore Lucy Kelly.
LoveFest, the American reincarnation of the Berlin Loveparade, was also called Loveparade when it began. In 2006, with the return of the real Berlin Loveparade, San Francisco retitled its celebration the LoveFest. The San Francisco LoveFest is a volunteer, non-profit organization, sending the profits from official sponsors and spectators' small donations back into production for the next year's festival and to participating non-profit organizations.
"It was the first weekend before school and my first introduction to San Francisco in my life. Since then, it stands out in my mind as how I think about San Francisco. That kind of thing doesn't happen anywhere else," said Nichols.
Founder of the Berlin Loveparade Dr. Motte said, "The San Francisco LoveFest itself is part of a much wider personal, social and spiritual transformation-revolution which will utterly change our world over the coming decades. With this next evolution of the event, we are about to take a step into a different future in which all that is best and most beautiful in the human soul will find the right conditions to flower."
The parade will begin at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29, and will start at the corner of Market and 2nd Street.
In the words of the Berlin Loveparade founder, "This is our future. Open your heart ... Free your mind ... Face your fears ... Live your soul ... Dance!"
Contact Molly Gore at (408) 551-1918 or mgore@scu.edu.