Twenty years after Berlin’s final Love Parade, a new documentary is set to trace the city’s electronic music legacy from the streets of the 1990s to today’s Rave The Planet Parade. ‘Love Is Stronger: From Love Parade to Rave The Planet‘ premieres on Friday, July 31, on the ARD streaming platform, opening a dedicated programming series on club culture across Germany’s public broadcasting network.
Produced by ARD Kultur, WDR, rbb, and SWR, the film follows Ellen Dosch-Roeingh and Dr. Motte over several years as they work to bring the parade — organized by the nonprofit rave the planet gGmbH — back to life. Using previously unreleased archival footage and personal perspectives, the documentary charts the history of Love Parade from its Berlin beginnings through its rise to global prominence and eventual end, while showing how Rave The Planet is carrying its cultural legacy forward under new social and organizational conditions.
The timing couldn’t be more symbolic. 2026 marks exactly two decades since the last Love Parade in Berlin, and on August 15, the 5th Rave The Planet Parade will return to the Straße des 17. Juni under the motto “IMAGINE LOVE.” Standing for peace, diversity, humanity, and recognition of electronic music culture’s contributions to the international cultural landscape, the parade continues its mission of celebrating techno as a force for connection.
‘Love Is Stronger’ will also air on German rbb television on August 12 at 10:15 PM CET, offering audiences a second window to experience the story. For the Rave The Planet team, the film represents far more than a nostalgic look back — it captures the transition from a historical legacy to a present-day nonprofit organization and movement fighting for cultural recognition.
On the day of the parade itself, rbb will broadcast the event live on the ARD streaming platform and rbb television, while Rave The Planet will produce its own world feed for the first time — one continuous, centrally produced live broadcast covering the full parade from 2:00 to 10:00 PM CET across its own channels.
The parade anthem, ‘IMAGINE LOVE’ by Dr. Motte and Tommahawk, was released on July 10 with an official music video, transforming this year’s motto into a powerful musical statement. The first two remixes — by Juliet Fox and Mark Reeder & Micha Adam — arrive on August 7, followed by a version from Berlin duo Pan-Pot on August 28.
The celebration doesn’t stop when the parade ends. Rave The Planet and LOFT Concerts have joined forces for the first-ever Official RAVE THE PLANET Afterparty, kicking off at 11:00 PM on August 15 at Berlin’s Columbiahalle. The lineup brings together international techno heavyweights DJ Rush, Dr. Motte, Nakadia, Teenage Mutants, and Tommahawk, with support from Kay Barton. For this anniversary edition, Columbiahalle will feature a specially developed lighting and production concept, along with a sound system tailored specifically to the space.
Founded in 2019 by Dr. Motte, rave the planet gGmbH has become one of the leading voices for electronic music culture preservation. In 2024, the organization helped secure the inclusion of “Techno Culture in Berlin” in Germany’s nationwide Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage, maintained by the German Commission for UNESCO — a landmark achievement for the scene worldwide.
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