LovEvolution (formerly San Francisco LovEvolution and San Francisco LoveFest) is a technoparade and festival that occurs annually in the Bay Area in late September and early October. From its inception in 2004 to 2009, the parade included 25 floats and started at San Francisco's 2nd and Market Streets. The parade continued all the way to San Francisco Civic Center Plaza for a giant outdoor dance club with famous DJs. In 2010, location issues put the event on hiatus, and the event moved to Oakland in 2011, where the next event will be held on September 24th of that year. The 2008 parade drew over 120,000 people.
Modeled after Germany’s annual Love Parade, the San Francisco LovEvolution has grown year after year and continues to build worldwide recognition.[1] Loveparade originated in Berlin in 1989 after the fall of the Berlin Wall, but in 2003, the city denied the parade a permit and the event moved to San Francisco. In 2004, when German organizers were able to secure permits back in Berlin, North American organizers decided to continue their own event and dubbed it the LoveFest, changing the name in 2009 to LovEvolution. San Francisco's LovEvolution is also followed by an official after-party known as LovEvolution After Party. Three other cities around the world sponsor similar events every year.[2]
"Now more than ever we need to take over the streets and City Hall to express and share the values of peace, love, unity, and respect," said Joshua Smith, SF LovEvolution founding board member. "There is no better time for an event of this scale and intention. Our community needs to come together, enjoy life and hold onto the good things."
The largest single-day electronic dance music event in America, SF LovEvolution is an integral part of the cultural fabric of San Francisco. The success of this event is apparent in photo documentation, as hundreds of thousands of people are seen. SF LovEvolution aims to promote that the electronic dance music scene cares about the community and is sustainable by giving back, by granting music scholarships, providing gear to schools and supporting at-risk intercity youth.
The San Francisco LovEvolution is a volunteer non-profit organization. Any profits made from the event go back into next year's event and to participating non-profit organizations. 2009's event is a new event that takes into account of the alignment with the original vision of the Loveparade events. That vision of a free parade that celebrates music, love, diversity, tolerance, dance, and community is something they believe in strongly, and believe America needs now more than ever. Dance music has always had a special ability to bring people together in the shared beauty of a universal vibe. The SF LovEvolution community by and large remains 'underground' in U.S. pop culture due to very little support from radio and MTV, etc. The intentions of the San Francisco LovEvolution organization are far less evolved than those of the original Love Parade - but is believed to carry out the same message of love and hope.[3]
LovEvolution after party is a rave-concert that takes place in Bill Graham Civic Auditorium every year after the San Francisco LovEvolution parade ends. It is hosted by Skills and Spundae. It features world class international DJs.
Artists who have performed at LovEvolution Afterparty in previous years include Deadmau5, Above & Beyond, DJ Rap, Kaskade, ATB, Armin Van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, Gabriel & Dresden, Kyau & Albert, Deep Voices, Dave Dresden, Green Velvet, Paul Oakenfold, Christopher Lawrence, Junkie XL, Andy Moor, Bad Boy Bill, DJ Dan, Donald Glaude, DieselBoy, Aphrodite, DJ Sasha, John 00 Fleming, Eddie Halliwell, DJ Icey, and Robert Nickson.