Love Parade
"On July 1, 1989, we meet in Berlin, on the north side of Wittenbergplatz. It's 4 p.m... the music starts... around 150 people dance on the Kurfürstendamm, under the incredulous gazes of passers-by."
Thus began the adventure of the Love Parade. The event attracted up to 500,000 participants in 1995, forcing the organizers to leave the original route of the Kurfürstendamm, nicknamed Kudamm, for the legendary route between the Brandenburg Gate and Ernst-Reuter-Platz.
In 1999, 1,500,000 dancers marched past the famous Victory Column.
What was initially a demonstration for peace, joy, pancakes and a celebration of love and electronic music, became a world-famous mass event, showcasing techno and the entire electronic music spectrum.
Unfortunately, a court ruling reclassifying the event as a commercial event marked the beginning of its decline in 2001. The organizing team threw in the towel in 2006, selling the project to the McFit fitness chain, which held a final event in Berlin that same year before relocating to the Ruhr.
You can read about the history of this event during its Berlin era in our French book “Paix, Joie, Crêpes” and in our guide.
In addition to the history, our French-language guide will take you on a tour of the two Parade routes: the one from 1989 to 1995, and the one from 1996 to 2000.