HISTORIC EVENT
Monterey International Pop Festival
Historic Music Festival
EVENT OVERVIEW
About Monterey International Pop Festival
The Monterey International Pop Festival was held June 16-18, 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds and became a landmark event in the development of the modern rock festival.
HOW IT DEVELOPED
Event History
The festival was organized in a matter of weeks as a nonprofit event. Its official history traces the idea to discussions involving John Phillips, Lou Adler and others, and the event helped introduce or elevate performers including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Otis Redding to much wider audiences.
WHY HERE
Location History
The official festival history says the original proposal grew out of plans for a blues and rock concert at the Monterey Fairgrounds, influenced by the existing Monterey Jazz Festival.
BY THE NUMBERS
Attendance History
Library of Congress material gives estimates ranging from crowds as high as 90,000 to roughly 200,000 total fans across the three-day festival. Class Act preserves that source variation rather than forcing one number.
WHO WAS THERE
Past Bands & Performers
Monterey Pop 1967
- Big Brother & the Holding Company
- The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
- Eric Burdon & the Animals
- Jefferson Airplane
- Otis Redding
- Ravi Shankar
- Simon & Garfunkel
- The Jimi Hendrix Experience
- The Mamas & the Papas
- The Who
FACT CHECK
Sources & Verification
Primary source: Monterey International Pop Festival official history / Library of Congress
Last verified: August 28, 2026
Class Act leaves unsupported facts out rather than estimate or invent them.