New York: JFK Airport to mark arrival of the Beatles 50 years ago
Beatlemania will return to New York’s JFK Airport on Friday, though likely with a lot less screaming. The airport will unveil a historical marker created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Fab Four setting foot in America, according to an announcement by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison arrived at JFK on a Pan Am flight from London on Feb. 7, 1964. “Shortly after walking down the steps off the plane, the Beatles held their first U.S. press conference at the airport, beginning their first U.S. tour and kicking off Beatlemania,” the airport statement said.
Two officials from Port Authority, which oversees New York’s airports, will present the marker at 11:30 a.m. Friday in the restored TWA Flight Center in the airport’s Central Terminal Area. Liverpool, a Beatles cover band, will play Beatles tunes during the ceremony.
The tribute comes during the three-day Fest for Beatles Fans in New York City, which will feature appearances by other British invasion singers like Peter Asher of Peter & Gordon, Donovan, and Chad & Jeremy.
Two days after touching down in America, the Beatles appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” A two-hour special “The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles” will air 8 to 10 p.m. Sunday night on CBS-TV exactly half a century later.
Want more Beatlemania buzz? Plan a journey to visit these top 10 Beatles fan destinations, as picked by Cheapflights.com.
Mary.Forgione@latimes.com
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