A version of this article originally appeared on MUNCHIES Switzerland.For over 26 years now, roughly 900,000 techno fans dance for an entire day every year in August by the lake in Zurich, Switzerland. They drink, sweat, and wear the wildest outfits. Some take drugs, others get heat stroke, but all of them eventually have to eat. Jessica Fall has them covered. She’s responsible for the market stands at the Street Parade. It’s a job she’s been doing since 2015—and it's safe to say she's witnessed a lot.
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On the day of the Street Parade, Jessica starts work at 4:45AM and her shift doesn’t end until 20 hours later, when the last people from the Street Parade begin to pull themselves back into the city’s clubs to keep partying.
The work Jessica does for the thousands of hungry dancing people who attend isn’t just limited to one day of the year. She begins organizing the stands and what they’ll offer months in advance. This requires her to negotiate with stand operators from Switzerland and surrounding countries. The day of the Street Parade itself is long, often very hot and, above all, stressful for her, her team, and the food stand operators. Sure, sometimes expectations clash, which leads to conflicts. Jessica talked to us about the types of situations she has to battle with from year to year.“There are many stand operators who've been coming [to the Parade] for years and know how things work. And then there are always a few who, despite having come for years, seem to enjoy . getting on my nerves. Because I have a lot to do in the lead-up to the parade, you can imagine I’d prefer it if you bombarded me with your questions by email or phone.But there’s one stand operator who always waltzes right into our offices unannounced and then ruins my day. He pays for the stand operating fees in cash—and for all I know, maybe he’s trying to pull a fast one on us, because his dues are sometimes short. He also always tries to discuss the size of his stands. And despite coming here for close to ten years, he still somehow hasn’t understood that there are certain things that we won’t simply change just for him.”
Nuisances
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Sexism
Drink sales
Swindlers
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