The world's first officially-sanctioned Beatles convention - staged with the blessing of all four Beatles and their company Apple - was held in New York City on the weekend of September 7th and 8th 1974. It was called Beatlefest. John Lennon - who of course lived in Manhattan - was directly involved in supporting the convention and rounded up musical instruments from himself (a guitar), Paul (a guitar) and George (the tabla used on "Sgt. Pepper") to be auctioned at the convention for his chosen charity - Phoenix House - a drug rehab organization. Ringo directly donated signed drumsticks for the charity auction.

During the 1960s and even into the early 1970s there had been occasional gatherings of devotees in the UK and US. But these were held primarily for the faithful fan club members and fanzine readers not for the general public.

But Beatlefest in September 1974 changed everything. The event was a massive success with 8,000 Beatles lovers jamming a Manhattan hotel over a two-day weekend. It was a new phenomenon - and it sparked a cover story in Rolling Stone magazine. There was a sequel convention in New York City the following year and The Fest was born. In February 2014 the Fest will celebrate its 40th year with its 120th US convention.

From the very start, the heart of the conventions has been the presence of the special guests - people from across the Beatles universe. They reminisce on stage, sign autographs, pose for photos and - to the delight of the attendees - chat one-on-one with the fans.

The guests come from every facet of the Beatles' lives. From family members and friends to fellow musicians and industry associates. Among the VIP attendees at the Fest in the first couple of years were Shea Stadium concert promoter Sid Bernstein, Beatles US promotion manager Pete Bennett, longtime Beatles road manager/assistant Mal Evans, radio deejay Murray The K and Hamburg pal & photographer Jurgen Vollmer. After that came a veritable deluge of guests.

On this page you will find details of some of the principal guests who have appeared at the Fest in the last forty fab years...

(Click on the    icon for photographs. Click on the name for biographical info.)

Family & Partners

  • Cynthia Lennon (John's first wife)

  • Pattie Boyd (George's first wife)

  • May Pang (John's girlfriend 1973-1975)

  • Nancy Andrews (Ringo's fiancee 1975-1980)

  • Mike McCartney (Paul's brother)

  • Louise Harrison (George's sister)

  • Angie McCartney (Paul's step-mother)

  • Ruth McCartney (Paul's step-sister)

Early Days (1945-1962)

  • Pete Shotton (The Quarrymen)

  • Rod Davis (The Quarrymen)

  • Len Garry (The Quarrymen)

  • Colin Hanton (The Quarrymen)

  • Eric Griffiths (The Quarrymen)

  • John Duff Lowe (The Quarrymen)

  • Pete Best (Beatles drummer 1960-1962)

  • Chas Newby (Played bass with Beatles Dec. 1960)

  • Tony Sheridan (Played with Beatles in Hamburg)

  • Roy Young (Played with Beatles in Hamburg)

  • Andy White (Played drums with Beatles Sept. 1962)

  • Pauline Sutcliffe (Sister of Stu Sutcliffe - Beatle 1960-1962)

Fellow Musicians (1960s & 1970s)

  • Donovan

  • Billy Preston

  • Peter Asher (Peter & Gordon)

  • Gordon Waller (Peter & Gordon)

  • Harry Nilsson

  • Jackie Lomax (Apple recording artist)

  • Gerry Marsden (Gerry & The Pacemakers)

  • Billy J. Kramer

  • Peter Noone (Hermans Hermits)

  • Spencer Davis

  • Joey Molland (Badfinger)

  • Neil Innes

  • Richie Havens

  • Ronnie Spector

  • Doris Troy

  • Gary Wright

  • Micky Dolenz

  • Lon & Derrek Van Eaton

  • Chris Montez

  • Delbert McClinton

  • David Peel

Associate Musicians (Studio & Stage)

  • Denny Laine (Wings)

  • Laurence Juber (Wings)

  • Denny Seiwell (Wings)

  • Steve Holley (Wings)

  • Henry McCullough (Wings)

  • Robbie McIntosh (Paul McCartney band)

  • Hamish Stuart (Paul McCartney band)

  • Mark Rivera (sax for Ringo - stage)

  • Jim Horn (sax for all 4 Beatles - studio & stage)

  • Earl Slick (guitar for John - studio)

  • Tom Scott (sax for George & Paul - studio & stage)

  • Hal Blaine (drums for John - studio)

  • Gary Burr (guitar and co-writer with Ringo - studio)

  • Howie Casey (sax for Paul - studio & stage)

  • Greg Hawkes (The Cars, keyboards for Paul - studio)

Recording Engineers & Producers

  • Norman Smith (Beatles engineer 1962-1965)

  • Geoff Emerick (Beatles engineer 1966-1969)

  • Ken Scott (Beatles engineer 1967-1969)

  • Alan Parsons (Beatles engineer 1969-1970)

  • Mark Hudson (Ringo producer 1998-2007)

Concert Promoters

  • Sid Bernstein (NY concerts 1964-1966)

  • Sam Leach (Liverpool shows 1960-1962)

Film World (Directors, Producers & Actors)

  • Victor Spinetti (Actor 3 films 1964-1967)

  • Walter Shenson (Producer 2 films 1964-1965)

  • Albert Maysles (Director documentary 1964)

  • Denis O'Dell (Producer & Head of Apple Films)

  • Al Brodax (Producer TV cartoons & Yellow Submarine)

  • Tony Palmer (Director documentaries 1968-1977)

Industry Associates

  • Mal Evans (Road Manager & Personal Assistant 1962-1970)

  • Alistair Taylor (Personal Assistant 1962-1969)

  • Peter Brown (Personal Assistant 1962-1970)

  • Freda Kelly (Fan Club Manager 1961-1972)

  • Tony Barrow (Publicist 1962-1968)

  • Tony Bramwell (Personal Assistant & Promotion 1965-1970)

  • Clive Epstein (brother of Beatles manager Brian Epstein)

  • Geoffrey Ellis (Legal & administration 1963-1968)

  • Chris O'Dell (Apple assistant 1968-1970)

  • Andrew Loog Oldham (Publicist 1963 then Stones manager & friend)

  • Ken Mansfield (Apple US General Manager 1968-1969)

  • Pete Bennett (Apple US Promotion Manager 1968-1972)

  • Richard DiLello (Apple office assistant 1968-1970)

  • Gordon Millings (Assistant to personal tailor 1963-1966)

  • Alf Bicknell (chauffeur 1964-1966)

Historians, Biographers & Authors

  • Barry Miles (1960s friend and Paul biographer)

  • Ray Coleman (Journalist friend and John biographer)

  • Philip Norman (Beatles and John biographer)

  • Larry Kane (US tour memoirs and John biographer)

  • Al Aronowitz (Journalist friend)

  • Mark Lewisohn (Beatles historian & biographer)

  • Martin Lewis (Beatles scholar, marketing strategist & DVD producer)

  • Wally Podrazik (Beatles historian)

  • Nicholas Schaffner (Beatles historian)

  • Jon Wiener (Lennon historian)

  • Alan Clayson (Beatles biographer)

  • Bruce Spizer (Beatles historian)

Photographers & Artists

  • Klaus Voormann

  • Astrid Kirchherr

  • Jurgen Vollmer

  • Robert Freeman

  • Harry Benson

  • Bob Gruen

  • Allan Tannenbaum

  • Rob Shanahan

  • Roger Farrington

  • Paul Saltzman

  • Bill Bernstein

  • Jim Marshall

  • Curt Gunther

Other Guests

  • Chad Stuart (Chad & Jeremy)

  • Jeremy Clyde (Chad & Jeremy)

  • Terry Sylvester (The Hollies)

  • Mark Lindsay (Paul Revere & The Raiders)

  • Ricky Fataar (The Rutles)

  • John Halsey (The Rutles)

  • Phoebe Snow

  • Rex Fowler (Aztec Two Step)

  • Annie Haslam (Renaissance)

  • Liberty Devitto (Billy Joel drummer)

  • The Smithereens

  • Murray The K (DJ & close acquaintance 1964-1966)

  • Bill Maher

  • Robin Leach

  • Brett Hudson

  • T.V. Carpio ("Across The Universe" cast member)

  • Dana Fuchs ("Across The Universe" cast member)

  • Timothy Mitchum ("Across The Universe" cast member)