Courtesy of The Fest for Beatles Fans“Beatlefest” is going virtual! The 2020 Chicago-area edition of the annual Fest for Beatles Fans convention, scheduled to run from this Friday, August 7, through Sunday, August 9, will be an online event this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The virtual gathering will feature multiple Zoom events that will include guest webinars, performances, panel discussions, book readings, trivia contests, presentations and more.
Among the special guests slated to take part in the “Main Stage” Zoom Webinar are The Supremes‘ Mary Wilson, Donovan, ex-Wings guitarist Laurence Juber, Peter & Gordon‘s Peter Asher, Chad & Jeremy‘s Jeremy Clyde, drummer Gregg Bissonette of Ringo Starr‘s All Starr Band, Billy J. Kramer, longtime Beatles pal Klaus Voormann and former Beatles official fan club president Freda Kelly.
Also participating in a Zoom chat will be Jenny Boyd, inspiration behind Donovan’s song “Jennifer Juniper,” ex-wife of Mick Fleetwood and younger sister of George Harrison‘s and Eric Clapton‘s former wife Pattie Boyd.
Tickets for this weekend’s Virtual Fest for Beatles Fans 2020 are available at Evenbrite.com for $44. Those who purchase tickets will be entered into a contest offering the chance to win a copy of the Linda McCartney: The Polaroid Diaries book signed by Paul McCartney.
A portion of the ticket sales will benefit the Chicago-based R.A.G.E.: Resident Association of Greater Englewood, as well as the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and the Spirit Foundations charity co-founded by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
The 2020 New York Metro edition of The Fest for Beatles Fans had been scheduled for this past March but was postponed. Details regarding new dates are expected soon. Visit TheFest.com for more information.
By Matt Friedlander
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