According to organizer Lynn Miles, who secured the location at the Kunlun Herb Gardens, the “iconic moment [of the first festival] was the peace circle” when activists and partygoers held hands around a fire pit to the sound of African. The circle became a Peace Fest tradition.
The festival was not held in 2004, mainly because of pessimism brought about by the war in Iraq, but organizers decided to revive it in 2005, and it grew to include a lineup of bands that spanned an entire day and DJs who rocked all night.
Not everybody liked the DJs, however, including Justin Yoie, this year’s craft vending organizer. “It’s supposed to be a yin [and] yang kind of night. The DJs fucked that up. They broke the peace.”
Nichols, who will this year be one of only two DJs to work the show, says he will only play songs of peace and speeches by noted democracy activists such as Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi.
Will the Peace Fest recapture its original feeling? That remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: It will be a cozier affair.
RSS