“The emotions were so strong from the start, I really had to hold back my tears. There was such a feeling of love and unity that was shared among all the ravers,” says Juliet Fox, which kicked off the party on the main float. “I am beyond grateful to have been invited by Dr. Motte and the team at Rave The Planet to be the first DJ to open the entire Parade, on the first truck, and play the first track after Dr. Clod.”
Dr. Motte speaks again as the parade draws to a close, sharing the ideals and goals of the foundation and thanking the crowd for coming in such large numbers. Thomas Guido, DJ and producer who is part of the Rave The Planet team, listens to Motte’s speech with tears in his eyes and tells me that it made him so happy to see around 300,000 people protesting and dancing peacefully together. “The spirit of the old Love Parade was definitely there to be felt,” he says. “The values we defend do not age. We are overwhelmed by the positive feedback from both participants and authorities, as well as people who, thanks to the big clean-up event the next day, were able to enjoy the beautiful Tiergarten park.
Dr. Motte shares this sentiment. “We did it,” he says, looking at the huge crowd at Tiergarten the next day. “As a non-profit organization Rave the Planet, we worked long and hard on this with the best of intentions. We all felt the rhythm and the bass on the streets of Berlin. The music brought us together. Nation, religion , skin color, gender, social origin, profession, etc. At Rave The Planet Parade, none of that matters. We want to dance peacefully as one musical family. Thank you to everyone who participated.” We hope Rave The Planet can carry those feelings forward in Berlin and not go the way of the Love Parade.
Artur Wojtczak is a freelance writer, follow him on instagram
Helena Majewska is a photographer, check her out website
