This weekend, Delray gets Beatlemania

DELRAY BEACH — After two pandemic-ridden years, Delray’s International Beatles on the Beach Festival has gotten back to where it once belonged.

The festival kicked off Thursday with a celebration at a new Delray Beach club, Throw Social, and it will continue through Sunday. It’s the first time it’s returning since its launch in 2019.

This year, 40 tribute bands will scatter across 26 participating venues in the area; headliner Micky Dolenz of The Monkees performed Friday at the Old School Square Amphitheater. While most of the remaining events will be free, a performance by Liverpool Live and The Academy Orchestra on Saturday will require tickets.

Delray resident and Beatle-loving festival producer Daniel Hartwell founded the event and runs it with his partner, Kerri Smith. After attending International Beatleweek in Liverpool, he asked himself why Florida couldn’t do the same.

“I really feel 200 years from now, we'll still be listening to Beethoven and The Beatles,” Hartwell said. “Not sure about the others, but I know for a fact that we'll be listening to The Beatles and Beethoven.”

Some of this year's most highly anticipated performers include Beatles tribute bands from Finland, Brazil and Israel. The full performance lineup can be found here. Other activities will include book signings, film screenings, yoga outings, dining events and art exhibits. The full activities schedule can be found here.

So far, 6,000 tickets have sold. But thousands of other people are expected to attend. The inaugural festival in 2019 had 10,000 attendees throughout its four-day run.

Below, find some highlights of this weekend’s events:

Saturday, Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. — Celebrity Symposium at Old School Square Amphitheater: Micky Dolenz of The Monkees and other special celebrity guests, such as American record producer, publisher and songwriter Mark Hudson, will reminisce on their Beatles stories throughout the decades. Hudson is known for his work producing nine albums with Ringo Starr. He's also worked with a diverse array of artists, including Cher, Aerosmith, Scorpions, Ozzy Osbourne, Hanson and Harry Nilsson.

Saturday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. — Performances at Old School Square Amphitheater: “The World’s Best Beatle Band,” Liverpool Live, accompanied by The Academy Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Servinsky, will perform a spectacular multi-media extravaganza, playing selections from Beatles' albums "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Abbey Road," "Let It Be" and "The White Album."

Through Sunday, Dec. 18 — Movie screenings at Delray Beach Public Library: The library will be featuring a different movie highlighting The Beatles Movie each day of the festival.

Through Sunday, Dec. 18  — Penny Lane Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt/Bar Crawl at multiple locations throughout Delray Beach: Participating restaurant and bars will serve specialty Beatles-themed drinks such as "Beatle Beer," "Me and My Monkey Margaritas" and "Strawberry Fields Forever Frozen Daiquiris."

Saturday, Dec. 17 — Beatles Art Exhibit curated by Neal Glaser at Old School Square Cornell Art Museum: “The Art of Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon and George Harrison” will be brought to visitors by Ringo Starr’s art publisher, Neal Glaser. Glaser is devoted to presenting the finest eclectic collection of hand-signed fine art by The Beatles themselves.

WHAT: Second annual Beatles on the Beach festival

WHEN: Runs through Sunday, Dec. 18

WHERE: Venues throughout downtown Delray Beach, with Old School Square Pavilion serving as the main stage.

TICKETS: BeatlesontheBeach.com/Tickets

INFORMATION: BeatlesontheBeach.com

Jasmine Fernández is a journalist covering Delray Beach and Boca Raton at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at jfernandez@pbpost.com and follow her on Twitter at @jasminefernandz. Help support our work. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Delray Beatles festival returns after two-year COVID hiatus