Bunte Republik Neustadt 2012, Dresden

The Bunte Republik Neustadt (or "Colorful Republic of Neustadt") is a yearly celebration that takes place in Dresden's Neustadt area.  It's somewhat Mardi Gras-like and celebrates many things, as well as delivering political messages that lean relatively left and often go against the right and extreme-right leanings of the rest of Dresden.  Regardless of the mostly mild political messages, the festival is a family affair, though alcohol is certainly in no shortage.

There are also some blurry pics posted of a metal band, whom I watched and was blown away by.  I never got their name, except that they have a female drummer named "Lara", I think.  They played at the Teileauto Parkplatz (Görlitzer str. 14 / Ecke Seifhennersdorfer str.), I believe. If anyone knows who they are, relay it to me via my twitter account or comments here.  I speak German, so don't be afraid if you can't write in English.  The band was phenomenal, had great charisma and control over the crowd, and I'd love to see them perform again.

Crowds are thick, but friendly.  At points, one must expect to simply be controlled by the currents densely packed people to get from one place to another.  People are very camera friendly and many came up to me volunteering for photos, somehow thinking I was a journalist, asking which paper they would appear in.

For photography the festival is total chaos, but a great skill-builder for an amateur, like myself.

It's quite a shame that Dresden doesn't represent itself with such openness most any other time of the year.

More here and here (in German).

Sunday afternoon:

The flag of the BRN: