Riedel Communications’ Artist digital matrix intercom system provided a comprehensive radio communications infrastructure for the 26th annual Zurich Street Parade.

Riedel worked with Security & Safety AG Zurich to deploy a robust and reliable radio communications network and CCTV system that ensured a successful and safe event.

The Street Parade is a 2.4-kilometer celebration of peace, love, and techno music that drew more than 900,000 revelers to the city’s streets on 12 August.

Just as it did with the Alpine Ski World Championships in St. Moritz earlier this year, Riedel Communications Switzerland AG deployed the "event cockpit" in the Street Parade command centre that enabled event monitoring and facilitated communications between first responders and other groups.

To further bolster safety and security, the event cockpit gave the Street Parade team access to situation and evacuation plans and also provided images from CCTV cameras placed throughout the parade route. The comms team was also able to access real-time weather information supplied by a Riedel weather station, and could view a dashboard for social media tweets and posts. Riedel and Security & Safety AG worked in close cooperation with the Zurich City Police, providing them access to both live and recorded CCTV feeds.

Using Riedel’s RiFace radio interface, the team interfaced the Artist matrix intercom with 350 Motorola mobile radios located throughout the Street Parade course, providing 11 digital DMR channels and five analogue channels.

The Street Parade, one of Europe’s largest and most colourful public events, kicked off at 1pm and wound through a course along the northern shore of Lake Zurich, ending around midnight. The fair attracted dance fans from every continent and featured 25 Love Mobiles, brightly decorated moving music stages with giant sound systems and DJs. In addition, nine fixed stages along the parade route featured DJs, live acts, and multimedia shows.

"Riedel has an impressive track record of providing fail-safe communications for some of the world’s biggest and most high-profile events, with complex logistics spanning broad geographical areas. We faced exactly those kinds of logistical challenges with the Street Parade," said Marcel Hirschi, security engineer, Security & Safety AG Zurich. "We knew we could trust Riedel to help us execute a comprehensive communications strategy that would guarantee an outstanding and safe experience for close to a million people."

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