900,000 attend Zurich Street Parade despite temperatures above 30C

About 900,000 people attended the 33rd Street Parade in Zurich, according to organisers, as temperatures rose above 30 degrees Celsius. SRF reported that medical teams treated around 630 people by 9:30 p.m., while 30 were taken to hospital.

The police had arrested nine people by 8 p.m., most of them for offences under Switzerland’s narcotics law.

Bright sunshine turned central Zurich into a vast dance floor on Saturday afternoon. Crowds filled shaded areas around the lake basin, while water pistols, misting devices, spray systems and large showers provided relief from the heat.

The music programme began at 1 p.m. on nine fixed stages along the route. An hour later, the first of 30 Love Mobiles, moving music stages, set off from Utoquai. They travelled at walking pace across Bellevue, the Quaibrücke, Bürkliplatz, Mythenquai and the Enge harbour basin.

More than 200 artists were scheduled to perform on the stages until around midnight. This year’s parade motto was Together we move.

Police maintained a visible presence at access barriers along the parade route, and emergency personnel remained particularly vigilant following the attack at Christopher Street Day in Berlin.