1960s@50
The 1960s were a period of tremendous change for the San Francisco Bay Area, California, and the country. Starting with the Free Speech movement in Berkeley in 1964, a new generation of young Americans began to challenge all aspects of America society. Starting in late 1965 in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, a colorful, youthful counterculture began to emerge. In January 1966, with the three-day Trips Festival at Longshoreman’s Hall in San Francisco, this growing subculture, energized by a powerful mix of rock music, psychedelic light shows, and visions of utopia burst into the national consciousness with a fervor and force that would forever change the country. As the 50th Anniversary of the monumental psychedelic 1960s begins in 2016, this page will celebrate key events of the mid-to-late 1960s, feature guest essays on the historical impact of the 1960s, promote significant 50th Anniversary events, and highlight a period when the San Francisco Bay Area and California forever changed the nation and the world.
