1967:
It’s been 57 years since the first Stanley Park Be-In. A local take on the be-in that had taken place in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park two months before and set the tone for the Summer of Love.
Vancouver’s event was much smaller, but about a thousand hippies, and three times as many onlookers, turned up at Ceperley Park near Second Beach in March 1967, wearing colourful beaded vests with jeans and tattered evening gowns, even monk and clown costumes. They danced to bands like Country Joe and the Fish, dropped LSD, and carried signs that read, Make Love, Not War, and Burn Pot, Not People.
This event officially marked the beginnings of Vancouver’s counterculture and set the stage for the launch of the movement’s newspaper, the Georgia Straight, the first issue of which hit the streets on May 5 1967, with a cover price of 10 cents.
1972:
The sixth annual Easter Be-In was held on April 2, 1972. Less than three weeks later, the Park Board would unleash the bulldozers and demolish the hippy huts in All Seasons Park. Thanks to their tenacity and ability to live without running water (the hippies not the Parks Board), instead of a huge hotel and condo development, we have Devonian Harbour Park.
1973:
On April 22, 1973, when Bruce Stewart shot these fabulous photos, the Be-In was in its seventh year. About 10,000 people turned up to listen High Flying Bird, Brain Damage, Dandy Tripper Band and One Man’s Family. It was still counterculture, if not as novel as it had once been, and the story made its way out of Vancouver into the Star-Phoenix in Saskatoon and the Windsor Star in Ontario. The biggest issue that year was the traffic jam in the Stanley Park Causeway.
Sax Man is Ross Barrett. Ross, who also played flute and keyboard, was in the psychedelic band Mock Duck, and around the time this photo was taken, was with Sunshyne, playing with Bruce Fairbairn and drummer Jim Vallance.
1974:
In April 1974, A headline in the Vancouver Sun quoted a teen who called the Be-in “kind of boring.”
By 1977, less than a thousand turned out for the April Be-In and the festival moved to Semiahmoo.
© All rights reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, all blog content copyright Eve Lazarus.
Related:
- The Evolution of Devonian Harbour Park
- Aborted Plans: All Seasons Park
- The Dollarton Pleasure Faire of 1972
- Walks with Fred Herzog
26 comments on “The Stanley Park Be-Ins”
If memory serves, I was present as a 15 year old for the 1967 Stanley Park Be-In. It might be of interest that an ancient archaeological beach boulder petroglyph (rock carving) nearby might have been modified after one of the Be-Ins at the park. Let me know if this is of interest and I can email you details from my archaeological field report (research done several decades post-Be-Ins of course).
Hi Stan. I remember some of the late 60’s early 70’s be-ins. If my memory serves, some of the later ones were more towards the Totems near Brocton Point and extended to Lumberman’s Arch. I think Mac Nelson was with us.
What a blast Time it was and what a time it was…
This is tremendous coverage of this seminal event, has Bruce Stewart been sitting on these images for a long time? I’m maybe a little surprised (pleasantly) that I’ve never seen them before. They also look to be fresh scans. I’m also wondering if he was using negative or positive film. Given the relatively crappy negative films of the era I suspect he might have been shooting Kodachrome or Ektachrome…
All these images, over a number of Be-Ins and indeed other early celebrations were all from black and white negative sources, scanned and colourized to the best of my recollection. As with the Dollarton Mudflats celebration of summer, 1973 I have not published anything until fairly recently. I hope someday to do a book or two on all the events and gatherings I have documented over the years. Thanks, Gord for your kind comments!
A few comments: 1/ Why would any self-respecting photographer want to vandalize his own b&w work by colourizing it?! 2/ Given that the Be-Ins were significant cultural events in their day, this is pretty skimpy coverage of them. Where’s the big one that was held at Lumberman’s Arch in 1968? 3/ The “sax man” alluded to in the caption of the photo is beloved Vancouver musician Ross Barrett, who has been a priceless treasure in this city since the 1960s when he played sax, flute and keyboards with Joe Mock in Mock Duck. Ross has done amazing community outreach for decades through his music, in the 70s leading the wonderful marching band Sunshyne at multiple public events, and in recent decades leading the Carnival Band community band project with his son Tim. You can read about Ross, Tim and the Carnival Band here: http://www.thecarnivalband.com/carnivalband/wp-content/uploads/Carnival-Band-Media-Kit-Final-sept4rth2011.pdf. You can see them in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z57qlZ2eRLM. Credit where credit is due, folks.
Hey, Gordon: Far from ‘vandalizing’ my images by colourizing them, I believe I have breathed fresh life into them, as my mission was to document the events, which of course we all perceive in colour, initially.
Some images I have made remain in black and white, where the esthetic dictates. An example of this is the image of the nude woman standing alone, defiantly gazing across Burrard Inlet from Maplewood Mudflats toward the Chevron and Shell tank farm (‘Ninstints on Burrard Inlet’). As a black and white image it is strong and simple and would not work in colour. The image of Ross Barrett is a wholly different example of this, where Ross gets ‘lost in the crowd’ in its desaturated (black and white) version. Colour not only adds clarity, but pulls us into the direct memory of the event. One reason I chose black and white film was that it gave me total control of the image: shadow and highlight detail, contrast and tight grain. I processed and printed all my work, and now in the addition of colour, I do so for the scanned b&w images.
Art and ‘artiness’? To quote the great rock and roll shooter, Jim Marshall, now passed – “I can shove ART’. With much the same sentiment, I strove not to make ‘art’, but to make a DOCUMENT of the events I shot. Perhaps this is why I have sat on all these ‘street’ image ‘documents’ for decades.
I really appreciate your comments and insights, Gordon. I have had this argument for years with many fellow shooters who sometimes tend to keep a somewhat narrow gaze on the ‘purist’ notion of their work, as do many gallery owners. Thanks for your considered reply!
The chap identified as The Sax Man is Ross Barrett. Also a flautist and keyboard player, Ross was in psychedelic band Mock Duck until about 1971.
At the time of the 1973 Be-In, Ross was in Sunshyne, a musical troupe that included future uber-producer Bruce Fairbairn (RIP) and drummer Jim Vallance who later became a producer and hit songwriter, most notably as Bryan Adams’ frequent collaborator.
Bruce, Jim and some other members of the last version of Sunshyne subsequently formed Prism.
Thanks for that Richard! I’ll add that to the post
Ross is the stuff that keeps old Vancouver alive. He still plays at protests, events, happenings. He should be knighted!
I was there with a movie camera I had bought in Japan in 1970 and took about 8 minutes of beautiful colour clips of the be-in, and some other Vancouver events of the early 70s. no sound. Lately I have been projecting the film on to a screen and shooting it with an iphone and there is no loss of resolution in the new video clip. Anyone interested?
Interested? Of course.
Yes!!
Hello Peter, I attended the 30th anniversary of the stanley park be in and would love to see your photos/video!
Yes! I would love to see that footage. I was at a few of those early be-ins. I came across a man in a cassock feeding little birds in his hands, and he gave me some birdseed and the birds landed on my arms and hands to eat. I’ve fed birds ever since.
I too am interested, thank you.
By any chance, did you film the Village Faire held in Cates Park, North Vancouver, circa 1971? I know there was one because I saw a short documentary of it shown on television in the 70s and I’ve tried to find it to no avail.
A genuine blast from the past for which I thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Cool, so this is what happened at a Be-In.
When I was a kid, I would hear exciting stories about the Be-In from my best friend’s older siblings.
I was too young to attend, so in keeping with the spirit of the event, I cut up my green denim floral jeans into long vertical strips … those were the days I would hear of, but that I actually missed!
I have stories.
My brother “Sorry” had many more. https://flic.kr/p/5HPYHn
THANK YOU for the wonderful memories! I lived in Chilliwack then (and still do). Went to every Be-in! Always had such a blast.
My pleasure! Glad you enjoyed the story and Bruce’s photos
I was at the Be In when Constable Abe Senako was walking through the crowd and everyone was throwing joints at him. I love the party!!
Awe the memories. The smell of incense pot and moist Spring soil
‘Brain Damage’ , my Brother Peter was a roadie ( April Wine as well) for them. Hard to forget that band name!
He helped set up for the 25th anniversary.
Those were some good times. Hanging with buddies and grooving and year after year of fun and wholesome living. Oh and I saw that narc snidanco slithering about. He did know how to fill a courtroom though. Easter Be-in was a great Get Together.