Organisers have cancelled the Love Train techno parade scheduled for 29 August in Berlin, citing logistical bottlenecks, unresolved noise disputes with city officials and a changed social climate after a deadly attack on Pride events. The attack in Tiergarten left one woman dead and 31 injured and prompted heightened security concerns. Separately, organisers confirmed that Rave The Planet will go ahead on 15 August.
Berlin Cancels Love Train Parade After Deadly Pride Attack — Rave The Planet Will Go Ahead
2025's Love Train techno parade. Christoph Soeder/dpa
Berlin organisers have cancelled the Love Train techno parade that had been scheduled for 29 August, citing a changed social climate and mounting logistical and security challenges following a deadly attack on the city’s Pride events.
Organisers said talks with city authorities had not produced an agreement on permissible noise levels and that staging the parade under current conditions would require extensive measures — from vehicle barricades and identity checks to a heavy, armed police presence — steps they believe would undermine the event's open, celebratory spirit.
"What made this decision unavoidable, however, is the perceptible change in the social climate," organisers said, noting the need to protect participants without turning the parade into an overly securitised event.
Rave The Planet To Proceed
Despite the cancellation of Love Train, organisers confirmed to broadcaster RBB that a separate event called Rave The Planet is still planned for 15 August. Founder Matthias Roeingh, better known as Dr. Motte, said the team had "given it a great deal of thought" and listened to community feedback. His wife, Ellen Dosch-Roeingh, added, "The parade will take place."
Context And Concerns
The decision follows an attack in Tiergarten park over the previous weekend in which a woman was killed and 31 people were injured after a 21-year-old assailant drove into a crowd and then stabbed bystanders. Authorities described the perpetrator as an Islamist; he was shot dead by police after a day-long manhunt.
Last year, roughly 10,000 people joined the Love Train procession through central Berlin to advocate for tolerance, diversity and solidarity. The techno procession — a successor to the 1990s Love Parade — was due to run between the Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column, the same central corridor that hosted this year’s Pride celebrations.
Organisers said they remain committed to maintaining communal spirit and public safety, and that alternative events and formats will be explored if conditions allow.
Help us improve.
