When the SF LoveFest rolls through San Francisco this Saturday expect a fleet of huge multicolored floats blaring their dance music soundtrack through the city streets and a liveley crowd sporting wild outfits with colors as loud as the sound systems.

Now in it's 4th year, the event has evolved from it's original status as the US version of Berlin's annual Love Parade into a completely autonomous event drawing one of the largest crowds of dance music enthusiasts in the nation.  Over 40 of the area's most prominent nightlife promoters and production companies have created elaborate floats and stages for daylong event and around 100,000 people are expected to descend on the city for the parade and to hear a lineup of internationally known DJ's including Ferry Corsten, Armin Van Buuren, Adam Freeland, Donald Glaude, Benny Bennasi, Kaskade and Mark Farina.  In addition to the official parade and party, accompanying large scale and underground events are scheduled throughout the weekend.

Since it's creation the festival has steadily increased it's attendence and become one of the most popular annual events in the area.  For the 1st two years, the festival carried the name of  it's huge German counterpart, which regularly draws crowds of over 1 million people.  In 2006, when Love Parade failed to renew it's international licenses, organizers decided to go it alone, and SF LoveFest was born.

Joshua Smith, LoveFest's founder, said the name change brought apprehension among the organizers, fearing that without the moniker of it's famous counterpart, attendance would drop.  Luckily for them the party is held in San Francisco, one of the US's party capitals and, according to Smith, the name change hardly effected the numbers "(San Franciscans) really don't care what you call it," he said.  "We just want to have a party in the streets."

Keeping in step with the Bay Area's tendency to mix partying with politics, organizers are expecting another breakthrough year by banking on the fact that in addition to seeing a lineup of top tier DJ's, Americans are so stressed from the current political and social climate that a chance for a day of debauchery and dancing will be right up many people's alleys.  "Now more than ever we need to take over the streets and City Hall to express and share the values of culture, peace, love, unity, and respect," said Smith.  Call it dancing to keep from crying.  "There is no better time for an event of this scale and intention. Our community needs to come together, enjoy life and hold onto the good things."

LoveFest board member, psychologist and popular Bay Area nightlife promoter Dr. Syd Gris considers the event itself a political act.  "We do not dance in the streets to escape the reality of our times.  We dance to face them as a community, pointing the direction to a better way, set to beats and the full color of our expression. We gather to inspire and motivate social action by us, the youth, the people who will inherit this mess and have to do something about it to turn the tide."

Smith says that this social consciousness-a large portion of the proceeds are donated to area youth and community organizations-along with LoveFest's practice of constantly looking for the newest incantations of dance music, that brings the crowds back year after year.

In contrast to the Berlin festival, which focuses primarily on Techo, LoveFest sound systems run the dance music gamut from Techno and Trance to Drum and Bass, House, Break Beat and several evolving permutations.  "Dance music is largely a youth music and the feeling of the music has changes very quickly" he explained. "We have to make sure that we're meeting the ever changing needs of the community."

No doubt the Bay Area's love of all things odd and party related has helped the festival grow.  Unlike some cities that might bristle at the thought of nearly 100,000 costumed revelers taking over the city's busiest roadway on a Saturday, San Francisco authorities haven't raised much of a fuss.  Although Smith admits that the planning process over the years has involved "a lot of hard won fights," he concedes that assistance from San Francisco's Entertainment Commission and Late Night Coalition-an organization dedicated to preserving the city's vibrant club scene-has been crucial to LoveFest's continued success.

Smith says that future plans include growing the roster of DJ's and amount of participants and reaching out to other dance music festivals around the country.