55 Years Ago: The Fantasy Fair & Magic Mountain Music Festival Makes History
In the Valley of Dancing by Elaine Mayes
Underneath the June sun, high above the heart of Marin County on the grasslands of Mount Tamalpais, the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain music festival unfolded in the eventful year of 1967. Founded by Tom Rounds, the festival promised two days of some of the biggest rising acts in rock music, from The Doors and The Byrds, to Jefferson Airplane and Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band. Simply put, the two-day festival kicked off the impending Summer of Love in the bay area while simultaneously setting the standard for the future of outdoor rock festivals.
At the time of the mid-1960s, Top 40 rock and roll radio was beginning to take over the airwaves with the infiltration of rock. This evolution in popular music drove what was considered the traditional “Middle Of The Road” (MOR) format out of fashion. In short, MOR favored spinning easy listening, show tunes, and orchestral genres. At the beginning of 1966, and sensing this shift within the musical landscape, San Francisco radio station 610 KFRC made the transition from the MOR format to a Top 40 music format given their dwindling number of listeners. This switch in content ultimately worked in the station’s favor as it became the region’s most dominant station with the hip, new “Boss Radio” Top 40 format.
Because of this, KFRC gained a new sense of recognition among counterculture and commercial artists. As the station grooved its way into a new era (eventually to be known as one of its “golden eras”), its hometown was on the brink of the Summer of Love. Enter Tom Rounds — program director for KFRC. Rounds saw this time as the perfect opportunity to bring together some of the most popular, genre-encompassing musicians in the game, both from around and outside the San Francisco area. Ultimately, he had become discouraged seeing hostile security instances involving young concertgoers at indoor venues. “I watched beefy security guys throwing teeny boppers over the barricades, which was awful and said, ‘We really need to stop doing this and go outside and do something that won’t be armed warfare,” Rounds reflected to Rolling Stone in 2014. “I didn’t want there to be a barrier between the audience and the performers.” The inspirational roots of the largely-attended Fantasy Fair can also be traced back to Southern California’s Renaissance Pleasure Faire, which staged its first annual event in the spring of 1963. This influence can be seen in the renaissance-esque details of the Fantasy Fair’s official poster. As it would turn out, this picturesque atmosphere embodied the spirit of the changing times, where harmony and good vibrations lay at the core.
Official festival program courtesy of FireHeart2021
Described as a “kaleidoscope of sound and color” and a “musical love-in,” the Fantasy Fair was originally scheduled for the weekend of June 3 and 4, but delayed by unpleasant weather conditions to the following weekend of June 10-11. John Kearney of the Daily Independent Journal reported, “Thirty-thousand teenagers and hippies, turned on for a hep music and love-loving weekend of rock’n’roll and mind expansion atop Mount Tamalpais, were given 30,000 rain checks today.” It should also be noted that because of this change in dates, the Fantasy Fair would take place one week prior to the Monterey Pop Festival, which was organized by John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas. Now with rescheduled dates, the 1967 San Francisco event was billed as a benefit for the Hunter’s Point Child Care Center, where for every $2 all-inclusive ticket sold, the proceeds would be donated to establish daycare centers for preschool children. The festival would end up selling around 30,000 tickets in total, quickly selling out and exceeding expectations.
Each general admission ticket gave the holder access to free round-trip rides to and from parking areas on the “Trans-Love Buslines,” taking attendees from the lowlands to the scenic heights of Mount Tamalpais. This play on words was a nod to Donovan’s psychedelic “The Fat Angel” lyrics in which he memorably sings, “Fly Trans-Love Airways, get you there on time.” Riders of the bus were welcomed to the happening by a nine-foot Buddha balloon (originally intended to be forty feet high) spouting incense and bubbles with flowers at its feet and a hello banner that flew in the air when they arrived at the amphitheater.
“When you arrive at the Fantasy Fair, you will be immediately surrounded by color and motion, the good vibrations of thousands of people flowing with the natural beauty of Mt. Tamalpais. The major happening is you, your feeling of goodwill, and your knowledge that the Fair and the Mountain are a part of you, therefore yours to enjoy.”
At the entrance sat a 26-foot geodesic dome light chamber, consisting of pipes and fitted plastic, which enclosed an eight-minute light and sound show that used the sun’s rays and accommodated 150 people per show. Additionally at the entrance to the mountain theater was a 360-foot slide covered with straw and old tires on the steep hillside. Further along the fair area was a rope spider web and giant tire swings hung from trees. The Berkely Barb describes these 15 tire swings as “when one person swings in them it will affect the motion of all the others — sort of an object lesson in human relations.” Because the amphitheater was not well suited for dancing, an area about 200 yards to the east of the amphitheater was set up specifically for moving and grooving. Overlooking this “valley of dancing” was a meditation vista. The festival grounds were also alive with over 35 colorful art fair vendors which sold posters, books, and handmade crafts by “tribal” artisans and craftsmen of the Haight-Ashbury community. Booths that sold refreshments were also scattered around the woods surrounding the amphitheater. An assortment of strolling mariachis, finger cymbal, conga drum, and sitar players filled the air with continuous music.
Jefferson Airplane onstage by Suki Hill, 1967
From sunrise to sundown, live music was performed hourly at the amphitheater starting at 8 am until 6 pm on both days. On Saturday, the lineup included the likes of The Grass Roots, Jefferson Airplane (who performed on both days), The Charlatans, Dionne Warwick, and The Doors who took the main stage. For the latter freshly famous four-piece, it would be their first major performance in front of a large audience since their 1965 inception. The group was just beginning to experience buzz with their first hit “Light My Fire,” which was currently climbing to the top of the charts and would eventually reach the number one spot in July. Frontman Jim Morrison walked onstage clad in a jacket and pants that signified his pre-leather era. On Sunday, the bill featured (unexpectedly) The Byrds, who had recently just released their fourth album Younger Than Yesterday, local band Sons of Champlin, Captain Beefheart, and Smokey Robinson and The Miracles. Closing out the night and festival with a half-hour set was Tim Buckley and an appearance from The Steve Miller Band.
To document the festival, a film crew was hired by Tom Rounds which reserved all filming rights to KFRC. This prohibited any commercial film or photographs without permission from the station, with the exception of television news. In the video below, however, you can catch a glimpse of the many happenings on the festival grounds, from the bizarre bazaar to the performers onstage, and get a taste of the far-out atmosphere.
In regard to safety and security, the festival was hailed as a more than pleasant atmosphere. There were no fights or unlawful incidents, and trash was placed in garbage cans. Attendees left the ground of Mount Tamalpais as it was. The Petaluma Argus Courier wrote, “Strollers were asked to pick up litter and put it in the nearest trash container. The fact that they did gives an indication of the weekend mood of the huge crowds. What happens when you bring that many young people together and tune them into the blast and blare of raucous rock bands? Chaos? Brawls? Not this weekend. Patrolling police had little to do, other than direct pedestrian traffic.”
“If there was a ‘highlight’ to the fair and festival it was the day-long enjoyment of the sun, the trees and wild bands.”
It was also rumored that the Fantasy Fair was the first to tap the Hells Angels motorcycle club to act as security — a comparison to the infamous 1969 Altamont Free Concert. While they did not provide security for the event, Hells Angels showed up to the event to escort bands such as Jefferson Airplane and The Byrds. The San Francisco Examiner gave a positive review of the Fantasy Fair, writing, “The crowd had every type of music aficionado — from ‘true’ hippies covered with beads, to teeny-boppers with their inevitable flowers, to Hells Angels wandering around peacefully, to forest rangers in their starched green and brown uniforms and stiff-brimmed hats. Dress was colorful with flowers on pants, dresses, shirts, and faces. Some painted flowers or butterflies on cheeks and arms. If there was a ‘highlight’ to the fair and festival it was the day-long enjoyment of the sun, the trees and wild bands.”
Mr. Mojo Risin’ signing a copy of the festival program by Elaine Mayes
The Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival represented a turning point in music history, as the hippie culture ushered in a new wave of popular music. While the Monterey Pop festival might be more prominently documented in regards to the Summer of Love, the Fantasy Fair ultimately takes the title of being the first rock festival in America, if not the world. “It’s the kids; they’ve made this whole thing a success…they’re just wonderful,” Tom Rounds told The San Francisco Examiner in the days that followed the festival. “It has felt so good up here this weekend that most of the groups who came just to play have stayed around to enjoy the atmosphere. But it has been the crowd’s attitude that has gotten us through; no incidents at all, cooperation, and lots of love.”
Round’s vision of having a laid-back atmosphere partnered with hosting up-and-coming acts was brought to life. “We’re trying to recapture some of that old feeling and let the kids have a relaxed, healthy time,” Rounds explained to the San Francisco Examiner. “There will be a minimum of pressure: no screaming DJs on the microphones, no tight schedules.” It would be this well-thought-out approach to coordinating that made the Fantasy Fair so effective in the way it played out. As time would prove, it was also this approach that many subsequent music festivals would try and recreate. In this way, the Fantasy Fair forever stands as a precursor to the modern-day music festival today. Without even knowing it, Rounds was a visionary — a pioneer that changed the musical landscape and was thoroughly ahead of his time.