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10.
Flyer + ticket for the Flight to Lowlands’ Paradise, Magriethal of the Jaarbeurs, Utrecht, November 24th-25th, 1967.
Beige colour paper, printed in black with psychedelic design (31x25cm.); lists appearances by the Exploding Galaxy, headliners the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, the Social Deviants, the Incredible String Band, and psychedelic lightshows by UFO Lights, among others; ticket printed in black on thin white card (10.5x13.9cm.), with psychedelic design and numbered ticket stapled to verso.
Organised by artist and Utrecht provo Bunk Bessels and inspired by the 14-Hour Technicolor Dream, the event was one of the first Dutch pop festivals. In 99 Balls Pond Road, Jill Drower describes how Bessel had introduced himself to the Exploding Galaxy at a performance of ‘The Bird Ballet’, and of how the Galaxy troupe arrived in Utrecht by train from Paris loaded on acid and “were greeted like rock stars” (pp.201-210).
The festival ran for twelve hours, from eight in the evening until eight in the morning, and attracted a crowd of about 8,000. Away from the main stage, a smaller stage where the Galaxy members performed was reserved for experimental dance, theatre, and poets, including Simon Vinkenoog and Kees Buddingh, while other spaces were provided for body painting and massage. A second Flight to Lowlands’ Paradise was held in December 1968, but flopped due to the cold weather and cancellations by Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck. The name was revived in 1993 and the festival, now held outdoors, has since grown to become Holland’s annual equivalent of Glastonbury.
Old central vertical and horizontal folds and light creasing to flyer; ticket Near Fine. Accompanied by an individually numbered postcard issued by daily newspaper Het Vrije Volk offering the chance to win a prize of a flight for two to London, “City of Flight and Hip Fashion”.
(3 items).
