Thousands fill the streets as the Lovefest Parade marches through SFLOVE was in the air this past weekend as groovers, funkers and anybody needing a dose of the bubbly atmosphere came together in the fourth annual Lovefest Parade at San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza. Tens of thousands were in attendance to celebrate the Mardi-Gras like festival that brought music, dance, and most importantly, a positive outlook on our time amid economical and political instability. It was four years ago when the first Love Parade came to town, as the city gladly welcomed the Berlin-based festival. The two are an amazingly wonderful fit for each other – Lovefest with it’s over the top celebrations, and San Francisco as one of the few cities able to provide a rambunctious enough audience. Overhearing a conversation a few feet away, one aficionado of the weekend proclaimed, “I’ve been waiting for this all year.”Leading the festivities were the 28 floats that made the trip up Market Street blaring Electronica and House music. These handmade music mobiles were more homebuilt devices rather than elegantly flowered floats, some obviously thrown together that same morning. All however, featured a mess of partygoers dancing atop and next to speakers strapped to the rig. Truck drivers hired to take the mobile party in and out of city streets were clearly in amazement, as the unsafe nature of navigating through a sea of people was something they surely were not used to. After the trek up through the heart of the city, each float made a circle around Civic Center Plaza to finally park and set up mobile stages.The entire plaza in front of City Hall was packed Saturday with row of vendors providing differing styles of food, drink and alcohol, and partygoers wandering about fully clad in costume, or daintily covered with a single piece of wardrobe. Many attendees chose to stroll the grounds checking out each stage, everyone of them unique in its theme and music. Grassy fields in front of the Asian Art Museum provided much needed relaxation areas for those prepared enough to bring blankets. Still, some of the most free-spirited (and absolutely wasted) individuals let the grass creep up on their bare skin. Daytime soon wound into evening, where many people chose to return home, while many others simply moved over into line for the continuing evening party. Next year promises to bring much of the same over-the-top mayhem and excitement, something already inherent in many San Franciscans. Despite the current troubles many Americans still face, LoveFest provided an opportunity for many to forget about their fears and simply enjoy a magic filled afternoon. Founder of LoveParade Berlin, Dr. Motte, had posted this on SFlovefest.com:”This is our future. Open your heart… Free your mind.”
Partygoers
A growing tradition of the Lovefest Parade always includes a massive afterparty held immediately after at a local venue. Electronica music giants Skills and Spundae hosted the party at the infamous Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, widely regarded by enthusiasts as the premier dance venue in Northern California.Three massive rooms brought about differing styles of music, as the main stage returned to its roots of bringing Trance to the masses. Several of the largest acts took stage, including ATB, Deep Voices and Above & Beyond. Number one ranked DJ in the world, Armin Van Buuren, spun as the main act – bringing with him legions of followers knowing many of his tracks. ATB dropped massive hits such as “Extasy” and a surprise remix of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” that simply electrified the crowd.Moving about inside Bill Graham was nearly impossible, with the event completely sold out to late-comers hoping to sneak in.”[I] walked in and went upstairs. MAYHEM I tell you,” said K.D. of Huntington Beach, CA. “The place was packed. Last year, the party itself was maybe 3/4 filled the most, but seriously this place was going OFF”World renowned DJ Donald Glaude did not perform on the main stage, instead spinning on the smaller house, breaks, and progressive room. A large circle of 2-steppers and B-Boys strutted their moves throughout the night, taking advantage of the beat and funky-heavy records. One lasting scene out of the room came about as Glaude filled a thick and hazy smoke wall-to-wall, enough for those unable to see the very feet they were moving.The third stage hosted a mix of electronica and techno music, featuring DJs Christian Smith and Green Velvet. Both alternate rooms were noticeably emptier than in years past, and a quick glance to the bleachers upstairs showed why -many fans chose to sit out the dance floor. Still, Velvet of Chicago brought his best, mixing genres with a blend of techno over hip hop on Sugarhill Gang’s “Apache.” As the night wound down, thousands were still in attendance both on the floor and in the stands, anxiously waiting for a grand finale from Van Buuren. There was no final sendoff like in Popsikle 2002, with Van Buuren opting to finish his set with only a single encore. At almost 4am, partygoers filed out like zombies to the arms of promoters handing out flyers for the next events.
