The festival takes place in the New York metropolitan area, ordinarily in March or April, and in Chicago, Illinois, each August.

The Fest for Beatles Fans began in 1974 after founder Mark Lapidos[1] ran the idea by John Lennon during an encounter at the Pierre Hotel in New York City.

[2] The event was supported by BBC TV and Apple Corps in London; both organisations supplied archive films and promotional clips, some of which had never been seen in the US.

[4] Each Beatle donated an item to be auctioned off for charity – guitars from Lennon and Paul McCartney, a table from George Harrison, and autographed drumsticks from Ringo Starr.

The Fest has also taken place in Atlanta, Boston,[8] Houston, Las Vegas,[9] Los Angeles,[10] Orlando,[11] Philadelphia[12] and San Francisco.