HISTORIC EVENT
US Festival
Historic Music Festival
EVENT OVERVIEW
About US Festival
The US Festival was a large music-and-technology festival project created by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak through Unuson. Two major editions were staged at Glen Helen Regional Park in Southern California: September 3-5, 1982 and May 28-30, 1983, followed by a separate Country Day on June 4, 1983.
HOW IT DEVELOPED
Event History
Wozniak described Unuson as short for “unite us in song.” The first festival mixed major rock, new wave and pop acts over Labor Day weekend in 1982. The 1983 edition returned with themed New Wave, Heavy Metal and Rock days over Memorial Day weekend, followed by Country Day on June 4. Guinness World Records lists total attendance for the 1983 festival at 670,000.
WHY HERE
Location History
The documented site was Glen Helen Regional Park near San Bernardino. Rhino’s historical account says Wozniak paid for construction of a new open-air field venue and a state-of-the-art temporary stage there. Class Act does not add an unsupported explanation for why Glen Helen was selected beyond the documented record.
BY THE NUMBERS
Attendance History
| Edition | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| US Festival 1983 - All Days | Glen Helen Regional Park, Devore / San Bernardino, CA, United States | 670,000Guinness World Records lists 670,000 total attendance for the 1983 US Festival. |
| 1983 Heavy Metal Day | Glen Helen Regional Park, Devore / San Bernardino, CA, United States | 375,000Guinness World Records lists an estimated 375,000. Contemporary UPI and Washington Post reports described the crowd as 300,000. |
WHO WAS THERE
Past Bands & Performers
1982 - Friday, September 3
1982 - Saturday, September 4
- Dave Edmunds
- Eddie Money
- The Cars
- Santana
- The Kinks
- Pat Benatar
- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
1982 - Sunday, September 5
- Grateful Dead
- Jerry Jeff Walker
- Hoyt Axton
- Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band
- Jackson Browne
- Fleetwood Mac
1983 - New Wave Day, May 28
1983 - Heavy Metal Day, May 29
1983 - Rock Day, May 30
- Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul
- Quarterflash
- U2
- The Pretenders
- Joe Walsh
- Stevie Nicks
- David Bowie
1983 - Country Day, June 4
- The Thrasher Brothers
- Ricky Skaggs
- Hank Williams Jr.
- Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band
- Alabama
- Waylon Jennings
- Riders in the Sky
- Willie Nelson
FACT CHECK
Sources & Verification
Primary source: Steve Wozniak official biography / Rhino historical archive / Guinness World Records / UPI
Last verified: August 28, 2026
Class Act leaves unsupported facts out rather than estimate or invent them.