How the 1994 Ban Made the Street Parade a Success: Founder Marek Krynski Looks Back
On Saturday, August 8, the Street Parade will roll through Zurich for the 33rd time. In the latest episode of the video podcast «Studiocast,» founder Marek Krynski explains how a late-night flash of inspiration turned into the world’s largest techno parade. And why the forced relocation to the lakefront in 1994 is what really made the parade take off.
The story begins in 1991. Marek Krynski, a math and philosophy student, sees a segment on MTV about the Love Parade in Berlin. Weeks later, he wakes up in the middle of the night with a thought: We could do that in Zurich, too. «It was like a divine inspiration,» he says in the podcast. «I didn’t sleep the rest of the night.»
Zurich in those days had hardly any clubs, but it did have closing times and a ban on dancing before major holidays. «It was very boring and dead in the city,» Krynski recalls. A visit to Berlin’s Tresor finally convinced him: If Zurich’s Kaufleuten were hosting events similar to those in the German techno stronghold, then Zurich, relative to its population, would be «the most techno-enthusiastic city in the world.» On September 5, 1992, 1,000 to 1,500 people marched down Bahnhofstrasse behind sound trucks. The procession was registered as a political demonstration. «Abolish the ban on dancing» read the first flyer. The Tagesschau news program covered the event.
The forced relocation to the lake basin made the parade a big event
The fact that the parade nearly disappeared after just two editions is almost forgotten today. In 1994, the city refused to grant a permit, arguing that the event was too large, of no interest to anyone, and would litter the streets. Only after weeks of public pressure did the city council relent and move the parade to the lakefront. What started as a stopgap measure turned out to be a stroke of luck. It was only there that the parade could grow to attract an audience of up to one million people.
Krynski himself organized the parade for the last time in 1996, founded a supporting association, and handed over the reins. He still goes every year, though, preferring to be right in the middle of the procession, far away from the permanent stages. When asked if everything was better in the past, he replies dryly: «Yes, yes, of course everything was better back then.» There’s only one thing that really bothers him: that alcohol is now being sold at the parade. On Saturday, he’ll be out on the route again, just as he has been every year since 1992.
The episode is hosted by Christoph Soltmannowski, who was part of the Street Parade’s founding team and organized the press conference back then that helped turn the Zurich City Council’s initial ban on the Street Parade into a major issue. The two discuss counter-demonstrations, early restrictions («No sitting on the parade route») and the musical roots of techno, with audio samples ranging from Chicago house to Belgian New Beat.
The full episode of «Studiocast» with Marek Krynski: youtu.be/QgofY2As9Rc
