The Love Parade is a popular electronic dance music festival and parade that originated in 1989 in West Berlin, Germany. It was originally conceived as a political demonstration for peace and international understanding through love and music. The idea spread worldwide during the next decade, with love parades held in Sydney, Australia; Vienna, Austria; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Santiago, Chile; Leeds, England; Budapest, Hungary; Tel Aviv, Israel; Mexico City and Acapulco, Mexico; Oslo, Norway; Cape Town, South Africa; Geneva and Zurich, Switzerlan; Caracas, Venezuela; Little Rock, Arkansas; and San Francisco, California, United States.
On July 24, 2010, a crowd crush at the Love Parade in Duisberg, Germany, caused the death of 21 people, with hundreds of others injured, prompting its organizers to announce the cancellation of future love parades in Germany.
Love parades have been held annually in Vienna, Austria for over a decade. The peaceful event, usually held in July, draws thousands of technopop fans as marchers and floats circumnavigate Vienna’s Ringstrasse.
Update: The Love Parade has not been held since 2010, and there are no plans to revive it.
Plan Your Trip
Order Atlas Obscura: Wild Life Today!
Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders.
Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders.
Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook