What Was San Francisco's Summer Of Love?

In the summer of 1967, tens of thousands of young supporters of the counterculture flocked to the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. Virtually taking over the neighborhood, these so-called ‘hippies’ brought vibrant colors and personalities to the city, filling it with music, drugs and free love in what would go down in history as the Summer of Love.
The hippie movement was an iconic part of the 1960s in America that emphasized values like freedom of sexuality and drug use, liberal politics, raised consciousness, environmental friendliness, individual empowerment and communal living. Students from the colleges in and around San Francisco took up the movement, also drawing inspiration from the Beat poets and jazz musicians of the era.

If one event could be held responsible for sparking the Summer of Love, it would be San Francisco’s “Human Be-In” that took place on January 14th, 1967. Inspired by the recent laws that banned the usage of LSD, the event was organized by artist Michael Bowen and advertised in the San Francisco Oracle, drawing anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 people to Golden Gate Park The event featured a series of speakers, live music and epic amounts of LSD. Speakers included the likes of Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert, Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, Michael McClure, Dick Lenore Kandel, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Jerry Rubin. Music was performed by now-classic bands like Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Big Brother and the Holding Company and Quicksilver Messenger Service.

The massive event drew national media attention. In turn, the media attention drew thousands of hippies from around the country to the streets of San Francisco. When school let out for the spring break of 1967, students began flocking to the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. The local government, in an attempt to warn hippies to stay away from the city, unintentionally brought even more attention to the hippie haven. Soon, local residents responded by taking action to form the Council of the Summer of Love, establishing a name for the phenomenon. The Council was comprised of members of The Family Dog, The Straight Theatre, The Diggers, The San Francisco Oracle, and more locals, who anticipated problems stemming from the massive influx of people and hoped to help alleviate them. The Council established housing, sanitation, music and arts events, a free clinic for medical treatment and even a free store providing basic needs for the neighborhood visitors.

As drug-ridden people crowded into the neighborhood, the Haight-Ashbury began to deteriorate. The district became overcrowded, the streets filled with the hungry and the homeless, and crime rates soared. By the end of the summer, many people left to return to their schooling, bringing the Summer of Love out of its prime. In the wake of the event, those left in the neighborhood staged a mock funeral to commemorate the summer. The funeral, held on October 6, 1967, the funeral was titled ‘The Death of the Hippie.’

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.