page_title: Atlanta International Pop Festival (1970)
section_title: Historical marker
hierarchical_section_title: Atlanta International Pop Festival (1970) / Historical marker
caption_attribution_description: English: Georgia Historical Society marker for Second Atlanta International Pop Festival, Byron, Georgia.
context_page_description: The second Atlanta International Pop Festival was a rock festival held in a soybean field adjacent to the Middle Georgia Raceway in Byron, Georgia, from July 3–5, 1970, although it did not finish until after dawn on the 6th. It was the only successor to the first Atlanta Pop Festival, which had been held the previous summer near Hampton, Georgia. The event was promoted by Alex Cooley, who had helped organize the '69 Atlanta festival as well as the '69 Texas International Pop Festival, and two years later would promote the Mar Y Sol Pop Festival in Puerto Rico from April 1–3, 1972.
context_section_description: On September 15, 2012, a ceremony was held near the site of the festival to unveil and dedicate an official historical marker commemorating the event.  The marker text reads:  "In the 1960s, as American culture changed rapidly, new forms of music and performance emerged, including large outdoor rock festivals.  From July 3–5, 1970, the Second Atlanta International Pop Festival, one of the largest such events anywhere in the world during that era, took place in a field 600 yards west of here. Over thirty musical acts performed, including rock icon Jimi Hendrix playing to the largest American audience of his career, and Macon's Allman Brothers Band on their launching pad to national fame.  Officials estimated that the festival drew several hundred thousand young people to Byron that weekend.  Organized by renowned Atlanta concert promoter Alex Cooley, it remains one of the largest public gatherings in state history."  Official sponsors of the marker were the Georgia Historical Society, the Byron Area Historical Society, the Georgia Allman Brothers Band Association, The Allman Brothers Band Museum at the Big House, and Hittin' the Note.  The marker dedication ceremony was hosted by festival site landowner Tim Thornton, and featured Cooley, Byron Mayor Larry Collins, officials of the sponsoring organizations, and a crowd of festival attendees and fans.
caption: Georgia Historical Society marker.
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