Freedom to Party Protest | January 27th 1990

Genesis’88 promoter Wayne Anthony shot a series of photographs from the speakers platform to document this historic event. Over 20,000 people gathered to protest their rights to attend large scale dance parties (raves) all night long in the UK. This is the first time the photographs have offered to global collectors.

Backstory

In the nineteen sixties music and drugs triggered the Summer of Love in San Fransisco. Thus producing the most historic bands and solo artists in the history of music. In nineteen eighty eight music and drugs triggered the Second Summer Love in the United Kingdom. Taking center stage is electronic music created in living rooms by aspiring DJs in Chicago. Spurning an electronic dance music industry worth billions today.

The foundations of rave culture were cemented with Acid House in 1988. The biggest illegal secret parties in history were happening on a daily basis. Mobilising tens of thousands of people every weekend in search of epic sized events to party for extended hours into the morning.

The media’s reaction was to demonise Acid House music and rave culture, slating party promoters and ravers as Public Enemy Number One. Members of Parliament would quote tabloid newspaper headlines in chambers. Whipping up a storm among MPs on all sides. The outcome focused huge budgets on specialised forces such as The Police Pay Party Unit. A national police squad connected byway of a brand new multimillion pound police computer network. The first of its kind in the country.

Events were stopped by police every week, as roadblocks and searches were conducted against ravers over a two year period. Alas the Freedom to Party Campaign was devised as a legal entity to organise protests and push for licences or later club closing times.