Virtual Fest for Beatles Fans Aug. 7-9 2020

HELLO BEATLES FAMILY!!

We are so very excited to announce the details of what just might be the biggest, most unforgettable Fest For Beatles Fans ever — with perhaps our best lineup of all time!

Right here in the virtual plane on Zoom in BALLZOOMS and on Facebook live, August 7-9, with special guests originally planned for the live Chicago Fest: Mary Wilson, Jenny Boyd, Gregg Bissonette, Peter Asher, Billy J. Kramer, Jeremy Clyde, Laurence Juber and Mark Lewisohn. Since we had to cancel the live Fest, we decided to contact some of our favorite past guests and others. They all said yes! Klaus Voormann, Donovan with Chris Murray, Freda Kelly, Bettye LaVette, and the SiriusXM Beatles Channel Panel. Fest band LIVERPOOL will be in concert on Saturday night Live from the Cutting Room in NYC, your favorite Beatles authors and experts will be there, your beloved Fest events and activities will be taking place all weekend, and dozens of Beatles bands and solo artists will be live in concert all weekend long! Showtimes will be on CHICAGO TIME! Friday 5pm – Sunday at… let’s call it “midnight”

This would have been our 44th year in Chicago… and so in that spirit, tickets will be $44 a piece for the whole weekend! Each ticket will be connected to an email – and that email will get you into the full Zoom experience all weekend. If you are a multi-person Beatle crew in one house who want to share a ticket and zoomscreen, that is possible! However, the perks of each person having their own ticket are:

1). Each ticket gives you an entry to win Linda McCartney’s book The Polaroid Diaries, SIGNED by Paul McCartney, worth $2000

2). Having your own ticket will give you your own unique Zoom registration, with your face in the video chat on your device, see your friends and participate in activities, and give you control of where you wander in the multiple Zoom Rooms in the virtual “hotel”!

3). A portion of the ticket sales will be going to R.A.G.E. Resident Association of Greater Englewood in Chicago. They’ve been doing fabulous mutual aid work the in response to Covid, and for the last decade! A portion will also be going to the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and John & Yoko’s Spirit Foundation – we have been raising money for both of these orgs through charity raffles for 40 years.

Fab 4). Each ticket supports The Fest and allows us to bring you more Beatles fun in the future!

Get your virtual Fest Ticket to Ride by clicking here!

Instead of being ONLY in Chicago this summer – this one’s for all of us! New York Metro Beatlepeople – our Los Angeles family who we miss so much – Vegas Friends – Florida Folks… Beatles fam from every city we’ve ever been to, every city we always wanted to make it to but haven’t yet — every city across the world, can join us right here in Chica…. GO where? We get to be ALL Together Now!!

With love from the Lapidos family and dear staff in Blue Shirts, wanted to make this feel as much like being in the hotel together as possible! With our longtime Beatle home Hyatt Regency OHare as inspiration, we imagine the glass elevators lighting lighting up our spirits, and welcome you to an experience to light up Beatles-style Across The Universe! Now all we need is YOU bring all your Beatle-loving selves, as you do! You’re such a lovely audience, we’d like to take you home with us, we’d love to take you home!

Get ready for six different BALLZOOMS all going at once to make you feel like you’re at the Fest — except unlike in real life where you can inconveniently ONLY be one place at a time, you now actually CAN be in multiple places at once! Imagine being in the Main Ballzoom on your computer, while shopping the Marketplace on your phone, tuning into the Faboratory on your iPad…. All from your Beatley home music studio… or your Bed-In for Peace, 2020-style! Or maybe you set up a socially distant outdoor multi-projector screening for the weekend with your FestieBesties… the mischief is yours to make! Wander around the hotel and get lost in a Sea of Zoom Holes…. Where you see all your Beatlefriends…

THE MAIN STAGE Zoom Webinar: Featuring Special Guests, Mary Wilson of The Supremes, Jenny Boyd, Billy J Kramer, Peter Asher, Jeremy Clyde, Donovan, Klaus Voormann,, Laurence Juber, Bettye Lavette, will be sharing stories of their time with The Beatles, and playing the music they made together along the way. With our M.C. since the beginning, Radio Hall of Famer and beloved Chicagoan, Terri Hemmert of WXRT! Scroll down to see the full (and growing!) list of special guests!

Featuring a LIVE Concert by LIVERPOOL Saturday Night, streaming from The Cutting Room in NYC.

And a Live concert by Blac Rabbit Friday Night!

Check out all the Special Guests photos and bios & more info on the Eventbrite Ticket page!

THE PAPERBACK WRITER Zoom Room: “Dear Sir and/or Madam will you read my book?” Beatles Book Readings, Author & Expert Panel Discussions, Presentations, Beatles Trivia, Soundalike Contest, and other such Beatles Activities with Fest Folk.

HAPPY EVER AFTER IN THE MARKETPLACE Zoom Room: Imagine if the Beatles Art Museum melded with the Marketplace, and all your favorite Vendors and Memorabilia dealers were hanging out in there, you could get appraisals or play in the Auction, browse T-Shirts and merch from the Fest Store! Show and tell your prized Beatles possessions! Come to do art, show your art, stay to buy art… Ob La Di Bla Da!

FABORATORY Zoom Room: Join for Experimental Beatles Sounds, Dance Parties, Yoga, Mediation, 60s Style Getting Ready Hour, Fashion Show and Contests, the first ever Fest Sound-NotAlike Contest… and much more interactive mischief, on and off the Magical Mystery Tour aka Glinda the Good Bus!

UNDER THE STAIRS Zoom Room: It’s not a Fest if we’re not in the lobby jamming all day and all night! This zoom will be non-stop fan-generated Beatles music! Join in and easily sign up to play a song – or jam along with others! Unmute at your own risk!

APPLE JAM STAGE on Facebook Live: We’re bringing Beatles music from some of our favorite Beatles bands and solo artists from all over the country and world (especially Chicago!), live from the BeatlesFest Facebook Page.

APPLE JAM STAGE ON FACEBOOK LIVE: We’re bringing Beatles music from some of our favorite Beatles bands and solo artists from all over the country and world (especially Chicago 😉 – and this will will be happening on Facebook.com/beatlesfest all weekend long! That’s right – this part is FREE for ALL! We didn’t want to leave anyone out of this Fest experience!!

Featuring Beatles Authors’ & Experts’ Presentations and Panel Discussions

Hosted by Wally Podrazik, Tom Frangione & Susan Ryan

Through discussions, presentations and musings, guests will talk about how Black artists have personally and musically influenced The Beatles from Liverpool to the U.S. and around the world.

Beatles Fine Artists Eric Cash | Neal Glaser’s Celebrity Art Exhibit by Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and John Lennon!

The Beatles Art Museum hosted by famed collage artist Deco! Bring your own Beatles Art to the interactive zoom.

Experience an original Beatles Play by TROIKA

DJ Sets by Zionysus | DJ Sun Queen & Madonna | Castle Afters

Ukulele Strum & Beatles Zumba with GiGi Monaco

Beatles Yoga with Annette Anderson

FEST Parodies by Danny Donuts

Puppet Shows by Bob Abdou

APPLE JAM STAGE: Tune into The Fest For Beatles Fans Facebook page all weekend for Live Beatles performances by:

Stay tuned for upcoming emails, which will have signups for participation in various activities and contests, a packing list, inspirations to prepare for such a virtual occasion… followed by the jam-packed schedule to come

In the meantime, save the dates, tell all your Beatle friends, RSVP on Facebook, put it in your Instagram story that @Beatles_Fest is coming to (your!) town…

Get your virtual Fest Ticket to Ride by clicking here!

Check out all the Special Guests photos and bios & more info on the Eventbrite Ticket page!

and get your ticket to ride!