Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Anything goes at Zurich’s Street Parade

There is no special dress code at Zurich's Street Parade. This year some 900,000 ravers, party goers and curious spectators turned out for the annual techno music festival.

Since the end of Berlin’s Love Parade, Zurich’s Street Parade has become known as the largest outdoor techno party in the world. On Saturday, 25 ‘Love Mobiles – trucks covered with dancers blasting music – covered the 2.4 kilometre-long route around the lake and through the city. Some 200 national and international DJs were in attendance for the 25th edition under the slogan, ‘Love never ends’. Eight special music stages had also been set up.

According to police reports, there were 130 arrests on Saturday – more than twice as many as in 2016. But police said the event was no more rowdy than in previous year.  The extra arrests were attributed to increased vigilance against theft and robbery. The arrests included 35 for drugs related offences. 

The number of people who required medical attention fell by a quarter to 526. Some 273 were treated for drugs or alcohol related problems.

Some 55 people required hospital treatment including a man who received serious injuries during a fracas in the early hours of Monday morning.

The first Street Parade in 1992 attracted 1,500 people; in 2015 there were one million.   

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR