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Swiss president joins ravers at Zurich Street Parade

The Street Parade techno festival in Zurich.
A view of one of the stages at the 30th Street Parade in Zurich, the world's largest techno party. Keystone/severin Bigler

Alain Berset was among the 920,000 people attending the 30th Street Parade in Zurich on Saturday, the world's largest techno party.

It was the first time that a Swiss cabinet member had attended the annual music festival in the centre of Zurich.

Arriving in Zurich by boat, the culture minister, who this year holds the rotating presidency, praised the organisers’ professionalism and the peaceful atmosphere at Switzerland’s biggest cultural event.

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At 2pm the first of the 30 Lovemobiles set off along with tens of thousands of participants on the two-kilometre route around Lake Zurich. 

Alain Berset (centre in hat) on a LoveMobile at the 2023 Street Parade in Zurich, August 12, 2023.
Alain Berset (centre in hat) on a LoveMobile at the 2023 Street Parade in Zurich, August 12, 2023. Keystone/severin Bigler

Berset said he was keen to get on one of the Lovemobiles to experience the party. “I like the music very much. I know electronic music – at least some of it,” he declared.

The culture minister met the event organisers in Zurich, including Joel Meier, president of the association Street Parade, and founder Marek Krynski. He was accompanied by Zurich’s mayor, Corine Mauch.

Street Parade 2023
Street Parade 2023. Keystone/severin Bigler

Around 1,000 people took part in the first edition of Street Parade in 1992 as an event promoting love, peace, freedom and tolerance. The Zurich government banned the Street Parade in 1994, unintentionally helping it to become even more successful. Today, it’s considered to be the biggest techno party worldwide.

Street Parade 2023.
Street Parade 2023. Keystone/severin Bigler

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