SAN FRANCISCO—The “Summer of Love 50th Anniversary” has been canceled after the city of San Francisco denied a permit to host the free concert.
The concert was scheduled for June 4 at the Polo Field in Golden Gate Park. San Francisco’s Recreation and Park Department shut down the event stating after nine months of work event promoter Boots Hughston failed to supply adequate information about how security and crowd control would be handled at the event.
“Summer of Love 50th Anniversary” concert was expected to draw tens of thousands of people to Polo Field. Diane Rea, Manager of Permits and Reservations for Rec and Park, expressed concerns about the size of the intended crowd for the concert in the event’s rejection letter.
Rea indicated Hughston told the city of San Francisco that the crowd would range between 30,000 to 40,000 people, but advertised online the concert would attract a crowd of 80,000 to 175,000 people instead.
“You have made numerous representations about your preparedness for this event which have turned out to be untrue, and if left unchecked, could put the public at risk,” Rea stated in the rejection letter.
Rea said Hughston pledged free medical services for the events, but when the Recreation and Park Department reached out to the vendors and providers Hughston cited, they denied any involvement with the event.
Hughston said he met all the demands and followed up with the city department.
“I’ve been doing shows for 40 years, and they’re acting like I’ve never done anything,” Hughston said to the SF Gate.
He called the rejection letter an attack on his character.
“They’re going after my credibility, saying I lied to them which is totally untrue,” Hughston said to the Mercury News.
Hughston plans to file an appeal against the permit denial this week and hopes the event will take place.
“The Summer of Love was a cultural event that changed the world. So for them to want to stop it blows my mind,” said Hughston to the SF Gate.
Hughston said he already lined up about two dozen performers such as Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin’s Big Brother and the Holding Company and the Santana Blues Band.