Three weeks after the Islamist attack on Berlin’s Christopher Street Day, the techno parade “Rave The Planet” is set to begin this Saturday with a moment of silence. “That was an attack on queer life, but also an attack on us,” said Ellen Dosch-Roeingh, cofounder and shareholder of the nonprofit organization Rave The Planet to the German press agency.
The techno parade on August 15 is planned to run between the Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column along the Straße des 17. Juni, which passes through the Tiergarten — not far from the site of the attack where on July 25 an Islamist attacker killed a woman and injured at least 31 people, some severely.
The security concept was discussed again in close coordination with the police after the attack, Dosch-Roeingh explained. “We already had a very solid plan before July 25, but small adjustments were made again.” The process is ongoing.
Techno spectacle for the fifth time
“Rave The Planet” is set to take place for the fifth time. The man known as Dr. Motte, Matthias Roeingh, says he wants to retell the Love Parade’s history with it, a demonstration he and his team launched as a political statement.
What began in 1989 as a political demonstration on the Ku’damm grew into a mega-event with millions in attendance. In 2005 the brand was sold, the techno parade moved to North Rhine-Westphalia — and ended in 2010 in Duisburg in a catastrophe. Twenty-one people aged 17 to 38 died, and about 650 attendees were injured.
In July 2022, Dr. Motte and his team brought the “Rave The Planet Parade” onto the streets for the first time. On Saturday, under the motto “Imagine Love,” 34 floats will be on the Straße des 17. Juni, according to organizers. About 300,000 participants have registered with Dr. Motte and his team, as in the previous year.
Numerous deployments for medics
That corresponds, according to an assessment, to the guideline value for the maximum crowding of the route, Dosch-Roeingh explained. “We can’t provide valid numbers for how many will actually come.” Last year, around 200,000 people attended, while the Berlin police estimated a little over 100,000.
Fire services and a medical relief organization are again on duty, with five first-aid stations planned. Last year, many people were treated — usually for “classic event symptoms,” i.e., alcohol- or drug-related issues, according to a fire department spokesman. The organizers urged attendees in advance to look after themselves: “We can’t tell people what to do and can only appeal to their sense,” Dosch-Roeingh said.
