LovEvolution Parade Ditches San Francisco For Oakland (PHOTOS)

Epic Electronica Parade Ditches San Francisco For Oakland

After years of bureaucratic wrangling with City Hall, the organizers of San Francisco's LovEvolution parade have decided to take the popular electronic music/dance celebration across the Bay. Instead of its traditional location at San Francisco's Civic Center, the event will now be held inside Oakland's Oracle Area and its accompanying grounds.

(Scroll Down For Photos Of LovEvolution Over The Years)

Two years ago, the city revoked the event's permit to use the Civic Center space, citing safety concerns. The festival's organizers spent much of the next year searching for a new San Francisco location to no avail. As a result, the 2010 event was cancelled.

LovEvolution event organizer John Wood said serious talks with city officials about holding the…event in San Francisco this year never materialized. Wood said they initially considered Golden Gate Park's Polo Fields, but crossed it off the list for being too cold along with challenges of transportation. Candlestick Park and the Giants' AT&T Park also were explored.

In a column last year, the Chronicle's Matier and Ross shed some light on why LoveEvolution's negotiations with the city likely fell through:

Organizers of the end-of-summer party, formerly known as LoveFest, had hoped to relocate to the parking lot at Candlestick Park after city officials nixed its return to Civic Center for safety reasons, saying last year's crowd had proved to be overwhelming.

But, according to city officials, LovEvolution promoters showed up at a meeting Wednesday with little more than a drawing of the parking lot with a fence around it.

"It's clearly a popular event, but we aren't going to cut corners with public safety," said Tony Winnicker, a spokesman for Mayor Gavin Newsom. Promoters were put off by having to get Recreation and Park permits - something they didn't think they could secure in time for the…party date.

Modeled after Berlin's annual Love Parade, LovEvolution came to San Francisco in 2004 and was originally named LoveFest. Run as a volunteer non-profit, LovEvolution arguably became more famous for its attendees' wild costumes and drug-fueled revelry as it did for the high-profile DJs spinning on its parade floats and at its massive, late-night after parties.

This year's LovEvolution is scheduled for September 24th.

LovEvolution San Francisco Throughout The Years

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