Berlin - Love Parade Party

Love Parade in Berlin is known as the biggest techno-party in the world. Besides the music, it has become a symbol of the liberal, free, open-minded culture in Europe. It is much like Oktoberfest in that copies of Love Parade can now be found in cities worldwide. Despite all of this, I had never even heard of Love Parade before I came to Germany. How many people attend? I was here in 2001, and different sources report between 1-2 million people in the streets near Tiergarten Park and the Brandenburg Gate were gettin down that year.

So how do you provide enough music to entertain 2 million people? Easy - convert huge semi-trucks into mobile DJ stations/dancing stages, and drive them around through the crowd. The party only lasts a day, and being in Germany, the party in the streets ends promptly at midnight (on the dot!). The streets clear and everyone heads out to clubs or goes home to get out of their head to toe black leather-spandex outfit. If you can make it, people-watching will keep you more than entertained.