Resource guide to the 1960s

Looking for the latest or greatest scholarship and thinking on the 1960s? Here’s a sample of books, films, articles and exhibitions that CHS staff have been reading:

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Video projection inside a geodesic dome created by Obscura Digital, Friday, January 22, 2016 (Adrian Mendoza for the California Historical Society).

The Trips Festival – 50 Year Celebration

On January 22, 2016 the California Historical Society celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Trips Festival with an event at Obscura Digital featuring Trips Festival organizer Stewart Brand. At the event, Trips Festival participants, scholars, historians, artists, musicians and technologists, … Read more

Inside Outside: on the Significance of the Trips Festival

“If I were to tell you that an event of major significance in the history of religion is going to take place in this City of Saint Francis this weekend, you would say, ‘You stayed out of work too long.’ … Read more

On this day in 1966 Ken Kesey in Union Square promoting the Trips Festival

Ken Kesey and others pulled up to Union Square to promote the Trips Festival – organized by Kesey, Stewart Brand, Roman Sender and Bill Graham at the Longshoreman’s Hall between January 21-23 1966. KRON-TV was on hand to document the … Read more

[The Human Be-In, Golden Gate Park, 1967 January 14], photograph by Gene Anthony, courtesy, California Historical Society, CPA-SOL_005

49 Years Ago: The Human Be-In

The “Summer of Love” in 1967 is generally thought to be when everything changed in San Francisco. As with most historic moments, there were many precipitating events which were bellwethers of things to come.… Read more

The Trips Festival explained

The Trips Festival was a transformative event that helped mark the beginning of the hippie counterculture movement in San Francisco. Organized by Stewart Brand, Ramon Sender, Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, and Bill Graham at the Longshoremen’s Hall for … Read more

The 1960s Revisited: Independent Psychedelic Film Festival

The 1960s Revisited: Independent Psychedelic Film Festival

The California Historical Society completes its 3-day festival celebrating the dawn of the 1960s with the screenings of three period films: The Trips Festival Movie, Magic Trip: Ken Kesey’s Search for a Kool Place, and Rockin’ at the Read more

The 1960s Revisited: A 50th Anniversary Celebration

The 1960s Revisited: A 50th Anniversary Celebration

The 1960s Revisited kicks off on the exact 50th anniversary of one of the most celebrated events of the 1960s counterculture: The Trips Festival. Considered a watershed event in the history of San Francisco’s underground arts scene, the launch … Read more

The 1960s Revisited: The Significance of the Trips Festival

The 1960s Revisited: The Significance of the Trips Festival

As Andrew Kirk notes in his most recent book, Counterculture Green: The Whole Earth Catalog and American Environmentalism, “The Trips Festival was not the first event of the era to unite commerce and technology with the cultural trends of … Read more

Trips Festival flier, 1966, California social, protest, and counterculture movements ephemera

The 1960s Revisited: A 50th Anniversary Celebration

Since the mid-20th century, San Francisco has been a beacon supporting underground movements, a vibrant arts and culture scene, and being one of the top music destinations in the world. Its dedication to preserving a singular voice – often … Read more

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