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Zurich Street Parade makes a roaring comeback

parade
The first Zurich Street Parade was held in 1992. It's turned into the largest techno party in the world. © Keystone / Ennio Leanza

Around 900,000 people danced in the streets of Zurich on Saturday in the largest techno party in the world. The Zurich Street Parade reported a strong turnout after two years of pandemic-related cancellations.

According to estimates by the organisers, around 900,000 people turned up – around 50,000 more than at the previous parade in 2019. Onlookers enjoyed a colourful display of “love mobiles” and partygoers sporting everything from superhero and unicorn costumes to rhinestone-studded bikinis.

The Zurich emergency service reported that 72 people had to be taken to hospital over the course of the day. One person – a 27-year-old man – died in a swimming accident and two people had to be resuscitated. Eight people were pricked with needles by strangers. This form of aggression has been reported in different countries over the past few months, but the reasons and motivations are unclear, said organisers.

The motto of the 29th Street Parade was “Think!”, which organisers said was an effort to encourage a peaceful, tolerant and sustainable coexistence.

The Zurich Street Parade was started in 1992 as an event promoting love, peace, freedom and tolerance. Back then 2,000 people danced around two Love Mobiles. Today, it’s considered to be the biggest techno party worldwide.

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