HistoryMiami Museum is honoring the first East Coast rock festival, which took place in Miami five decades ago, with an exhibition titled “Miami Rocks: The Miami Pop Festival, May 1968.” The exhibition will be open to the public from Friday, May 18, until Sunday, Sept. 30.
The opening party for the exhibit on May 18, at 6 p.m., will feature Jimi Hendrix brother, Leon Hendrix, who will perform some of Jimi’s famous songs. Also performing is the native American band, Lee Tiger, which played in the original Miami Pop festival with Hendrix 50 years ago.
Partygoers are encouraged to wear their favorite 1960s garb.
Tickets for the event are $10 for museum non-members and free to members. The party will take place on the plaza of HistoryMiami Museum, 101 W. Flagler St. To RSVP for the event go to https://492.blackbaudhosting.com/492/Exhibition-Opening-Miami-Rocks.
Opening on the original Miami Pop Festival’s 50th anniversary, the exhibition will display rare photographs by Ken Davidoff, who is well-known for his iconic photos of South Florida’s pop culture past. In addition, the exhibition will showcase archival footage and artifacts that illuminate the story of this groundbreaking event, as well as feature organizers Richard “Ric” O’Barry and Michael Lang, who later famously promoted Woodstock.
“Few people know that this Miami Festival is the precursor to Woodstock,” said Jorge Zamanillo, executive director of HistoryMiami Museum. “Our own backyard led to that pivotal moment of Woodstock that changed Rock ‘n’ Roll history.”
In May of 1968, Gulfstream Park hosted the first Miami Pop Festival, the East Coast’s first rock festival. More than 25,000 people attended the festival which featured such bands as The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Chuck Berry, Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, Blue Cheer, John Lee Hooker, and others.
A second Miami Pop Festival took place in December 1968 in the same venue. This installment included well-known performers such as Fleetwood Mac, The Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell, Marvin Gaye and others. HistoryMiami Museum’s exhibition also will include this musical occasion.
Museum hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, noon- 5 p.m.; Monday, closed. Regular museum admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students with ID, $5 for children 6-12, and free for museum members and children under 6.
For more information, call 305-375-1492 or visit historymiami.org.
