Anyone going to Loveparade, Duisburg, Germany 24. July

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I don't believe I will get much feedback but I am asking anyway :D

Anyone else going to Loveparade in Duisburg, Germany on 24. July? Lot's of very loud electronic music, some crazy folks and about 1 Mio. visitors. Some of my favorite bands / djs are there and it's nice for photography too. If you have a camera with you, some people won't let you go unless you take a photo of them :)



 
Loveparade is no doubt a bonanza for photographers. However, past Loveparades in the Ruhrgebiet always swamp the host cities' main train terminals and I'm not quite sure if the authorities will do better this time around.

In the meantime, I'm looking up all the possible public transportation alternatives and will make a decision later tonight.
 
Chyn said:
Loveparade is no doubt a bonanza for photographers. However, past Loveparades in the Ruhrgebiet always swamp the host cities' main train terminals and I'm not quite sure if the authorities will do better this time around.

In the meantime, I'm looking up all the possible public transportation alternatives and will make a decision later tonight.
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As always I am going by car. This was a smart thing to do the last years because everyone else is coming with public transfer :)

I think public transfer will be better because they wanted to organize 700 regional trains additionally that day and route all other trains away from Duisburg. But problem is always the time it needs to unload one train at the station.

Don't forget you earplugs. Heard today on the radio that the main stage has 1 Mio Watt music power :)
 
tom.w.bn said:
I think public transfer will be better because they wanted to organize 700 regional trains additionally that day and route all other trains away from Duisburg. But problem is always the time it needs to unload one train at the station.
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Back in 2007, the police had to shut down Essen Hbf because the crowds were pretty much pushed onto the railroad tracks. Quite a scene that was.

The 700 additional trains sounds like a good improvement over the last one held in Dortmund. Nobody could get on any of the S-Bahn or regional trains after noon time, and I believe Deutsche Bahn actually canceled several if not all local rail services to Dortmund.

Don't forget you earplugs. Heard today on the radio that the main stage has 1 Mio Watt music power :)
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Excellent advice :)
 
I went to one in Rio de Janeiro a few years back. Lots of fun, lots of people, lots of good music. But, i didn't see much i wanted to photograph.... Don't take anything that won't tolerate beer spills and jostling.
 
Renzsu said:
Hope nobody here got hurt, 10 people were killed in a stampede at the Love Parade!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/24/AR2010072401363.html
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That's so tragic but I had such a bad feeling that something would happen. I was there short after loveparade began at 1400. I've been to three loveparades before and normally don't have a problem with lots of people. But the masses of people on the rather small area were frightening for me. I tried to leave after an hour because it was sometimes already at the edge of a stampede around me. Had a bad feeling every second. Took me a lot of time to get out because so many people came in. Left through that tunnel (the only entrance/exit) where the tragedy happened later. When I got out I was astonished how many thousands of people still wanted to get in.

They said before that the area is suited for 800.000 people. But 1.4 Mio people were there and and all wanted to get on the area. What do you do as organizer? Shut the doors and risk that you have 600.000 angry people in front of the door?

Tragic.
 
tom.w.bn said:
They said before that the area is suited for 800.000 people. But 1.4 Mio people were there and and all wanted to get on the area. What do you do as organizer? Shut the doors and risk that you have 600.000 angry people in front of the door?

Tragic.
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Perhaps the right decision would have been, not to choose that area when you know that more people will come. I think it was a commercial decision because loveparade is generating lots of money.
 
tom.w.bn said:
That's so tragic but I had such a bad feeling that something would happen. I tried to leave after an hour because it was sometimes already at the edge of a stampede around me. Had a bad feeling every second. Took me a lot of time to get out because so many people came in. Left through that tunnel (the only entrance/exit) where the tragedy happened later. When I got out I was astonished how many thousands of people still wanted to get in.
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I'm glad that you made it out safely. Very unfortunate turn of events :(
 
raid said:
Stay home. It is too dangerous.
Maybe organizers will be better prepared next year.
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I doubt that there will be a next year for loveparade after that. I wouldn't want to take the risk as the next organizing city. It was planned to do it in Gelsenkirchen but that city is even smaller than Duisburg where it is right now. So the infrastructure to handle masses of people is not there.
 
I just thought that maybe Berlin is a large enough city to absorb another lovefest.

Maybe cancel such events and move on.
 
raid said:
Maybe it should be a yearly event in Berlin?
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It was in Berlin before but Berlin didn't want to have it anymore. While it was in Berlin the organizers always managed to convince someone that loveparade is a demonstration. As a demonstration the city has to pay for security (police, medical service) and the cleaning after the event. Especially the cleaning in Berlin cost a huge amount of money. So Berlin refused to give it the status of a demonstration some years ago. After that it was difficult to organize it because of finances. They looked for something new and they found a sponsor in the Ruhr-Area in Germay. They wanted a positive / cultural image and wanted to invest in the loveparade. In 2007 they started a 5 years, 5 cities concept where 5 cities in the Ruhr Area wanted to organize the loveparade.

Some people say that the loveparade belongs to Berlin but I think that is over. Our capital has no money so I don't think they can afford a loveparade anymore.
 
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The talley now is 18 killed and over 80 injured. Reminds me of the infamous Cincinnati Who concert where 11 were killed via trampling due to a festival seating venue. I was at the concert with friends and we didn't know about the fatalities till we were stuck in a post concert traffic jam listening to WEBN. We mad a made dash for an I-75 exit to find a payphone to call worried parents. Cincy didn't have a single concert for about 2 years afterwards.

The popularity of these mega events are often the cause of their termination.
 
Eightteen people killed, 342 wounded. A Dutch newspaper reports that a lot of communication by the authorities has been deleted since the event, suggesting a cover-up of massive failure on the side of police, organisation and rescue services. Eye witnesses claim the police stood idly by and a fence was opened after approx half an hour that could easily have been opened earlier.

I hope pictures will prove what actually happened at the event.
 
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