As I prepare to attend the third and final day of The Fest For Beatles Fans in Chicago, I’m feeling grateful and nostalgic for how much this event has changed my life since I started going in 2010. In case you’re not familiar with this Beatles Fest, it’s an annual three day convention held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel near Chicago that’s dedicated to all things Beatles. Each year (and this is its 42nd anniversary!!), they host tons of special guests who worked with or were relatives of The Beatles and they have dozens of other activities like concerts, art exhibits, author signings, contests, battle of the bands, panel discussions, workshops, dance parties, trivia gameshows, yoga/meditation classes, Beatles zumba, poetry slams, late night jams and so so so much more.
I remember my reaction the first time I stepped into the fest; it was just around the time when I “discovered” 60s music and spent all my time researching 60s pop culture and listening to the music and spending all my lawn-mowing money on dresses from 1964. While the 60s were a politically and socially tumultuous time and while I believe a lot of people romanticize the era, the pop culture remains a true passion of mine. My over-emotional, almost cathartic reaction to my first Beatles fest is something I look back on fondly with an amused sort of nostalgia. I was, and still am, so blessed and happy to be able to attend such an event where I’ve met such incredible people with a commonality that is so important to me (I’m not just talking about The Beatles, but about an infatuation with music in general). These conventions are the best memories I’ve had in my life and I’ll attend as long as they continue.
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