People from all over gathered in downtown San Francisco to enjoy Lovefest, or Lovevolution as it was called this year.

Thousands showed up for the early morning parade that began around 2nd and Market St. and ended at San Francisco City Hall. Market St. was littered with people, some dressed regularly, others in costumes and some completely in the nude. As the parade ended, people migrated into the Lovevolution area that was set up in a fenced off area in the front of City Hall.

In addition to a new name, the event now costs a ten dollar fee. Though a lot of people were upset by the new charge, people willingly paid it. Once inside, it was a place that people could dance and have a good time. “I love it here,” said Caitlin Wikander, wearing an Alice costume from the hit story, Alice in Wonderland.

Everybody was able to have a good time. No matter where you were in the area you would be able to hear the music. Though it was mostly Electronic music, there were a few times that other genres were played. Plus, a lot of it came from local DJs, so it was also a good way to support the Bay Area music movement.

Lovefest actually has a really interesting background. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Germany began an annual Loveparade in Berlin. However, in 2003 the event could no longer secure the proper permits. As a result, the event could no longer continue and was forced to find a new home. San Francisco was chosen as the new city to host the event.

However, last year Loveparade was able to return home to Germany. Still, the city decided to keep the event alive in San Francisco. The event was renamed Lovefest and became its own entity in the states.

It was nice that there were hardly any fights or confrontations during the duration of the event. Everybody present at the festival was there to have a good time with friends and “share the love.”

“Lovefest allows people to act how they truly feel,” said Olivia Toczynski.

She couldn’t be more accurate, as the theme of love was definitely the vibe of the day. If you were there then you definitely would have noticed all the love and affection at the party.

“Everybody just hugs you,” said Wikander. You would have probably also noticed a lot of kissing between couples, friends and even strangers. In some rare cases you would catch a couple or two taking it even further.

It was a great opportunity to see people coming together. The crowd was in harmony and peace and love were the themes of the day.

“Everybody accepts everybody,” said Toczynski. “That’s how it is and that’s how it should be.”