Street Parade 2005

Ravers were lucky this year. In the middle of an otherwise rainy August, St. Peter stopped the drizzle and let them enjoy a dry but not too hot Saturday. They came by the hundred thousands from Switzerland and neigbouring countries but also from places as far away as California. I talked to an elderly couple who told me this was their second time at the Zurich Street Parade and they had flown in from Los Angeles for this event.
The mood was totally relaxed and peaceful. I collected enough smiles to keep me warm throughout the coming winter. Most people I pointed my camera at were happy to pose for me, and a few of the ladies I photographed turned out to be just a little bit more exhibitionistic than the average raver. Among a crowd of 800 thousand or more people, it was easy to find pretty faces and shapely bodies. But, being an eight year veteran of the Street Parade, I had the impression that fanciful costumes were much less common than in previous years. The zeitgeist seemed to have shifted from outrageous toward tastefully excentric. But anyway, if you were a fan of fishnet stockings, boots, hot pants, bra and panties you'd spend an afternoon in paradise.