(QUEENS, NY) -- For 50 years, The Fest For Beatles Fans has been the ultimate annual celebration of those four lads from Liverpool. The 2024 Fest will be a celebration unlike any other as it celebrates both the 50th Anniversary of The Fest and the 60th Anniversary of The Beatles landing at JFK Airport in 1964 when they kicked off a cultural revolution that still reverberates today. To mark this special occasion, The Fest will take place February 9-11, 2024 at the TWA Hotel at JFK to put Beatles fans right at the location of their historic U.S. arrival.
Founded in 1974, The Fest is still the largest and longest running celebration of The Beatles anywhere in the world. The three-day event is packed with Beatles-related special guests, meet & greets, live music, a giant Beatles Marketplace, a Beatles Museum, an auction of rare items, an art gallery, numerous activities and the famous impromptu “fan jam” in the hotel lobby all weekend.
A highlight of The Fest is the array of Beatles-related special guests who have appeared to meet fans, perform, and tell their stories of connection to the Fab Four. The 50th anniversary will feature a plethora of significant guests. A stellar lineup of legendary musicians, led by a rare Fest appearance from Micky Dolenz (The Monkees), will include Laurence Juber (Wings guitarist), Billy J. Kramer (Liverpool legend), Gregg Bissonette (Ringo Starr Band), Steve Holley (Wings drummer), Mark Rivera (Ringo Starr Band, Billy Joel). Additional guests include Chris O’Dell (Apple Records), Jenny Boyd (sister of Pattie Boyd, George Harrison’s sister-in-law), Gary Evans (son of beloved Beatles’ roadie Mal Evans), Freda Kelly (original Beatles Fan Club president), Tony Bramwell (worked for Brian Epstein’s NEMS and Apple) and Angie & Ruth McCartney (Paul’s stepmother and stepsister). More special guests to be announced. Q104.3’s Ken Dashow returns as Master of Ceremonies, with SiriusXM The Beatles Channel’s Tom Frangione assists.
Live music is a big part of each year’s event and every year, The Fest stages feature performances by incredible musical acts. In addition to the special musical guests, who will be playing throughout the weekend, other incredible performers at this special anniversary version of The Fest include Liverpool, The Weeklings, Black Ties, Blac Rabbit, Cellophane Flowers, Jeff Slate’s Weekend Wilburys and many more!
This fully immersive event features everything a Beatles fan could want. Dress up for the sixties/lookalike contest. Bring your original Beatles Art to enter in the Art Contest. Participate in a Battle of the Bands and Soundalike Contest. Make a karaoke music video! Bring instruments of any kind to join in the lobby jams. Bring bathing suits for the indoor pool. Be a contestant in the Trivia and Name That Tune game shows. Bring USBs if you are a DJ with a Beatles remix repertoire. Bring your B(eatles)-game all weekend and be ready for surprises. The activities are endless. There is no better place for the band’s fans to enjoy and celebrate the group’s unyielding popularity.
With estimated sales of more than one billion physical and digital units sold worldwide, and a record 27 number-one U.S. Chart hits, The Beatles are the best-selling band of all time. They are also the most influential and groundbreaking musical artists ever and the revolution they began all those years ago still captures our imagination and has inspired generations of fans.
TWA Hotel at JFK is located at John F. Kennedy International Airport, One, JFK Access Road, Idlewild Dr, Queens, NY. The festival takes place Friday, February 9 from 5:00pm to midnight; Saturday, February 10 from 10:30am to midnight; and Sunday, February 11 from 11:30am to 11:00pm.
For tickets, full details and guest bios, go to www.thefest.com OR call 1-866-THE-FEST.
The Fest For Beatles Fans is the world’s longest-running Beatles fan celebration. Now in its 50th year, The Fest was launched in New York City in 1974 when founder Mark Lapidos thought of the idea for a 10th Anniversary Celebration of The Beatles’ arrival in America. He went to John Lennon and received his blessing who told him, “I’m all for it, I’m a Beatles fan too!” Ever since that first Beatlefest (as it was called then), Mark will be telling the full story Friday night of meeting John that most memorable day, April 28, 1974. The Fest has become an integral part of the Beatles fan experience in America, with celebrations in multiple cities and regions throughout the year. The Fest has featured appearances by a huge range of fellow musicians, artists, family members, friends, and associates from the Beatles world. It also carries the world’s largest selection of licensed Beatles merchandise and publishes the only Beatles mail order catalogue in circulation.
