1968 Newport Pop Festival

The Newport Pop Festival was held here the weekend of August 3-4, 1968 with many huge stars. It was the first music concert ever to have more than 100,000 paid attendees who each paid $5.50 a day!

Harvey “Humble Harve” Miller, a Top 40 disc jockey for 93 KHJ-AM in Los Angeles, was hired to promote the show and hosted the event with Wavy Gravy.

Saturday, August 3, 1968

Alice Cooper, Canned Heat, The Chambers Brothers, the Charles Lloyd Quartet, Country Joe and the Fish, The Electric Flag, James Cotton Blues Band, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Steppenwolf and Tiny Tim.

Sunday, August 4, 1968

Blue Cheer, Eric Burdon & the Animals, Grateful Dead, Illinois Speed Press, Iron Butterfly, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Byrds, Things to Come and Sonny & Cher who it is said were booed off the stage for being too “Pop”.

Orange County Fairgrounds
88 Fair Drive
Costa Mesa CA 92626
714 708-1500