View source for Technoparade

{{Short description|Parade of vehicles playing electronic dance music}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2016}}
{{Infobox
|name         =Technoparade
|bodystyle    =
|title        =  Technoparade
|titlestyle   =
|image        = [[Image:Technoparade 04.jpg|320px]]
|imagestyle   =
|caption      = A DJ mixing music and multiple dancers at the Paris Techno Parade. The equipment is onboard the float, which has a large speaker setup for the moving crowd.
|captionstyle =
|headerstyle  = background:lightgrey;
|labelstyle   = background:lightgrey;
|datastyle    =
|header1 = General Information
|label2  = Related genres
|data2   =[[Trance music]], [[electronic dance music]], [[Goa trance|goa]], [[dub techno]], [[psychedelic trance]], [[happy hardcore]], etc.
|label3  = Location
|data3   = [[Germany]] (origin)<br />Worldwide
|label4  =Related events
|data4 = [[Music festival]], [[carnival parade]], [[rave]], [[doof]], [[algorave]], [[trance festivals]], [[electronic dance music festivals]], [[teknivals]] 
|label5  = Related topics
|data5   = [[Live electronic music]]
}}

A '''technoparade''' (taken from the [[German language|German]] word "Technoparade") is a parade of vehicles equipped with strong loudspeakers and amplifiers playing [[electronic dance music]]. It resembles a [[carnival parade]] in some respects, but the vehicles (called [[lovemobile]]s) are usually less elaborately decorated.{{cn|date=October 2023}} Unlike some carnival parades, a technoparade does not share the tradition of bombarding the spectators with sweets.{{cn|date=October 2023}} However, the revellers do occasionally throw [[confetti]] (usually larger and more sparkly than that in a carnival parade) and spray foam from the vehicles onto the crowd.{{cn|date=October 2023}}

Nearly all of the vehicles are converted [[truck]]s.{{cn|date=October 2023}} In order to power the amplifiers, the trucks are frequently equipped with an additional [[electrical generator]].{{cn|date=October 2023}} For safety reasons, horse-drawn floats are never used in technoparades: there would be a danger of horses panicking from the noise and chaos.{{cn|date=October 2023}} However, there are occasional human-drawn floats equipped with generators, record players, amplifiers and loudspeakers.{{cn|date=October 2023}} Some of the vehicles allow people to ride along, for a fee.{{cn|date=October 2023}} For those on the sidelines, or travelling alongside on foot or bicycles, attendance is free.{{cn|date=October 2023}}

== Official program ==
The official program of a technoparade is generally not as important as what happens informally.{{cn|date=October 2023}} In contrast to a carnival parade, the vehicles are little more than flatbed trucks with sound equipment, rather than elaborately decorated floats.{{cn|date=October 2023}} There are usually no [[fireworks]] or other traditional elements of large celebrations.{{cn|date=October 2023}} Technoparades are rarely linked to anniversaries of historical events:{{cn|date=October 2023}} they usually simply take place in the summer to take advantage of the good weather.{{cn|date=October 2023}}

However, in Germany technoparades are usually officially registered as a political demonstration and thus have an appropriate motto. That way techno fans have a constitutional right to dance in the streets, and any objections from the authorities to noise and traffic obstructions are overruled and the cities also have to pay for security and cleaning up the streets afterwards.<ref name="munichfoundcom">{{cite web|title=Corpus Techno: The music of the future will soon be history|url=http://www.munichfound.com/archives/id/27/article/496/|publisher=MUNICHfound.com|access-date=5 February 2017|archive-date=6 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206184555/http://www.munichfound.com/archives/id/27/article/496/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Character ==
[[Image:Technoparade 05.jpg|thumb|left|DJs deliver a constant stream of music from the parade trucks.]]
Technoparades generally have a carnival atmosphere,{{cn|date=October 2023}} where social rules (and some laws, or at least their enforcement) are at least loosened, and sometimes broken outright.{{cn|date=October 2023}} An atmosphere of chaos and tolerance prevails{{cn|date=October 2023}} as bystanders dance to the shifting sounds of successive vehicles rolling by them:{{cn|date=October 2023}} the music blasting from one vehicle blends into that from another,{{cn|date=October 2023}} which can mean a sudden change of dance style in the area where the spheres of influence overlap.{{cn|date=October 2023}} The music coming from two sound trucks overlaps with approximately equal intensity,{{cn|date=October 2023}} and people can dance to either of two competing [[rhythm]]s.{{cn|date=October 2023}} In the technoparade subculture they call this the ''Verwirrungsgebiet'' ("[[overlap zone]]") by analogy to a concept in [[radio frequency engineering]].{{cn|date=October 2023}}

The street allows for a type of dancing that would be literally impossible in cramped German [[nightclub]]s{{cn|date=October 2023}}, and the breadth of some people's dancing is further exaggerated as they throw their clothes outwards.{{cn|date=October 2023}} Some in the crowd generally climb up to any high point that can possibly be scaled, more and more as the event continues.{{cn|date=October 2023}} The spirit is usually continued at after-parties in the local nightclubs{{cn|date=October 2023}}, sometimes including unofficial after-parties at venues having no official connection to the parade.{{cn|date=October 2023}}

==Major events==
{{Main|:Category:Technoparade}}

===World's largest===
[[File:Visitors at the Love Parade and Street Parade 1989-2010.svg|thumb|Count of participants for the Love Parade (blue) and Street Parade (red)]]
{{expand list|date=May 2015}}
*[[Street Parade]], [[Zürich]] around 1,000,000 participants annually as of 2018
*[[Love Parade]], previously the world's largest with 1.5 million in 1999

===Germany===
5 big technoparades of the 1990s and early 2000s:
*[[Love Parade]], [[Berlin]] / [[Ruhr]] area (1989–2010)
*[[Union Move]], [[Munich]] (1995–2001)
*Generation Move, [[Hamburg]] / [[Kiel]] (1995–2007)
*Reincarnation, [[Hanover]] (1995–2006)
*Vision Parade, [[Bremen]] (2002–2006)

Parades with a political character:
*[[Fuckparade]], [[Berlin]] (since 1997)
*Krachparade, [[Munich]] (since 2014)
*Zug der Liebe, Berlin (since 2015)
*[[Rave The Planet Parade]], Berlin (since 2022)
*Nachttanzdemos (many cities)

Small town or onetime moves:
*Night Move, [[Cologne]] (1994)
*Future Parade, Brockhagen (1997–2003)
*Beatparade, [[Empfingen]] (since 1998)
*Numerous others

=== Austria ===
* Freeparty, [[Vienna]] (1994–1999)
* Unite Parade, [[Salzburg]] (1999–2008)
* [[Loveparade]], [[Vienna]] (2000–2006)
* Freeparade, [[Vienna]] (2001–2010)
* Snow Move, [[Sölden]]

===Switzerland===
*[[Street Parade]], [[Zürich]] (since 1992)
*Jungle Street Groove/Beat on the Street, [[Basel]] (since 1995)
*[[Street Parade#Alternatives|Antiparade]], [[Zürich]] (since 1996)
*[[Lake Parade]], [[Geneva]] (1997–2015; 2017; 2023–)
*Tanz Dich Frei (Dance yourself free), [[Bern]] (2011–2013)

===Other===
*FFWD [[Heineken]] Dance Parade, [[Rotterdam]] (Netherlands) (1997–2007)
*Techno Parade, [[Paris]] (France) (since 1998)
*Love Parade, [[Santiago]] (Chile) / [[Tel Aviv]] (Israel) / [[Mexico City]] (Mexico) (2000–2006)
*Budapest Parade, [[Budapest]] (Hungary) (2000–2006) 
*Elektro Parade, [[Porto]] (Portugal) (2001–2003)
*Cityparade, [[Ghent]]/[[Liège]]/[[Brussels]]/[[Mons, Belgium|Mons]]/[[Charleroi]] (Belgium) (2001–2006)
*Freedom Parade, [[Tartu]] (Estonia) (2002–2009) 
*[[San Francisco LovEvolution|LovEvolution]], [[San Francisco]]/[[Oakland]] (United States) (2004–2011)
*{{Interlanguage link|Freedom Parade (Poland)|lt=Freedom Parade|pl|Parada Wolności}}, [[Łódź]] (Poland) (1997–2002; 2022–)

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Franconia-Love-Truck 1995.jpg|Franconia-Love-Truck 1995
Image:Technoparade 01.jpg|Paraders dancing in front of the massive speakers carried by the parade trucks at the 2006 Paris Techno Parade.
Lake-Parade-2001 ork.ch.jpg|Lake-Parade-2001
Image:Technoparade 03.jpg|The [[July Column]] during the 2006 Techno Parade in Paris, France
Beat on the Street Basel 003.JPG|Beat on the Street Basel
Lake Parade 2007 001.jpg|Lake Parade 2007
LovEvolution 2009 004.jpg|LovEvolution 2009
LovEvolution 2009 001.jpg|LovEvolution 2009
LovEvolution 2009 006.jpg|LovEvolution 2009
File:LovEvolution 2009 005.jpg|LovEvolution 2009
</gallery>

==Similar Events==
Similar to technoparades, electronic dance events have also been organized using other moving vehicles such as [[boat]]s and [[tram]]s. In contrast to technoparades which are characterized by free participation on the street, in this case only the passengers on the vessels or inside the trams are part of the event. An example for a boatparade is the ''Berlin Beats & Boats'' event which takes place annually since 2009 and involves up to 14 swimming dancefloors.<ref name="berlinbeatsandboats">{{cite web |title=Berlin Beats & Boats on the river Spree |date=9 July 2010 |url=http://www.tip-berlin.de/musik-und-party/berlin-beats-boats-auf-der-spree |publisher=tip Redaktion |access-date=10 June 2016 |language=de |archive-date=15 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415100004/https://www.tip-berlin.de/konzerte-party/berlin-beats-boats-auf-der-spree/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> A regular ''Housetram'' event has been organized by [[Monika Kruse]] in Munich since 1995.<ref name="patrick gruban">{{cite web|last1=Gruban|first1=Patrick|title=Review: Munich Union Move|url=http://archiv.gruban.de/x-letter/union2.html|access-date=9 June 2016|publisher=X-Letter|language=de}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of electronic music festivals]]
*[[Teknival]]
*[[Doof]]
*[[Rave]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline}}
{{Electronic music festival}}
{{Music festivals}}

[[Category:Technoparade| ]]
[[Category:Electronic music festivals| ]]
[[Category:Free parties]]