After the head and soul spinning street party hosted by Reclaim The Streets last year, it was difficult to imagine that the show could be topped. When their third street party, billed as a 'Festival of Resistance', was called, a niggling scepticism crept in - could they inspire once more? After all this was the third year running that RTS had called people onto the streets to party and noise up the authorities, in opposition to car / road / oil culture. Was the appetite out there to have it once more?

These fears and doubts were immediately wiped away when we arrived at Liverpool St station. Waiting there was a throng of around 2000 people, rapidly growing in size as the minutes ticked by for the off. Being a major network junction on the underground, the final destination was anybody's guess, including hopefully the police. Eventually, the thousands piled down onto the central line, and all were soon winging their way west. As the tube passed Notting Hill, the driver informed everyone that the train would be bypassing the next station. Bugger! the plot had been foiled. The train then disgourged its contents of seditious troublemakers at the next station - Sheperds Bush. Everyone aware that a fuck up was under way, streamed out of the station onto Sheperds Bush Green, and dutifully began to occupy the road. The police formed a cordon and the occupying force grew as subsequent train loads began to disembark. For the next twenty minutes or so there was utter confusion. No sooner had the battle lines been drawn, sections of the crowd disengaged to find ways round the cordon, and the police were left facing a none existant opposition, and for a while the whole thing descended into hilarious farce.

Finally an unguarded alleyway was found that led onto the M41, where the rigs were waiting and were in the process of being arrested. The hordes of wild protesters, rushed the arresting officers who quickly de-arrested their victims and melted away. The M41 now belonged to people instead of cars, and with the help of an Immersion into tekno, all UNsound vibes were kept at bay. As I took my first step onto the road to ecstacy, the M41 rapidly became a thoroughly beautiful place. Huge 'Destroy Power' and ' Victory to the Tubeworkers' banners spanned the motorway, - cafes, performers and colour exuded joy and spectacle from every inch of the tarmac - BOOM! Street Party 3 was well under way, and all were lovin it. As the day wore on, 3000 people turned to 6,000, which soon turned into 10,000.

RECLAIM THE STREETS!

STREET PARTY 96! - AS LONDON RAPIDLY APPROACHES GRIDLOCK, THE AIR BECOMES POISONOUS, SO THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ONCE AGAIN MERRILY OCCUPY A MAIN ROAD AND PARTY ON TO FULL ON TEKNO TO MAKE THEIR POINT.

The festival took root, the police watched on, outwitted once more and 10,000 people experienced one of the best days of their life - the inspiration hadn't gone. This was the only large free festival to happen in Britain this year, and it happened in the centre of London!