View File photoThe Beatles, from left, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr, play at the Las Vegas Convention Center in 1964.
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The Fest for Beatles Fans, a three-day event, kicks off Sunday at The Mirage, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South.
The annual festival is on the second leg of a three-city tour, hitting Las Vegas after New York and before Chicago.
Local disc jockey Dennis Mitchell, host of the nationally syndicated "Dennis Mitchell's Breakfast With The Beatles" program, will have a big role in The Fest, playing co-host to the event's touring host, Martin Lewis.
"We'll be taking turns interviewing the stars appearing at the festival," Mitchell said. "Donavan will be there. I'm a huge fan, but I've never gotten a chance to see him."
Appearing at the festival will be a number of movers and shakers from the Beatles' past, including Pattie Boyd, the model and photographer who was George Harrison's first wife and later married Eric Clapton, inspiring songs by both men. Boyd recently released an autobiography titled "Wonderful Tonight," which includes some of her photos chronicling her life with the rock superstars.
Spencer Davis, whose Spencer Davis Group hung out with the Beatles and also made hit records in the 1960s, will be there. Billy J. Kramer, another of Beatles manager Brian Epstein's finds, will perform as well. Kramer debuted several early John Lennon-Paul McCartney compositions.
Also appearing at the festival will be Las Vegas resident Ian Wright, who took some iconic photos of the Beatles that are included in his book "On the Brink of Fame: Pop Stars in the Swinging '60s."
The event runs from 2 p.m. to midnight Sunday through July 1.
"On the last night, there'll be a huge jam session," Mitchell said. "It's a lot of fun."
Mitchell said his show this week will focus entirely on the festival. Locally, "Dennis Mitchell's Breakfast With The Beatles" is broadcast at 7 a.m. Saturdays on 91.5 KUNV-FM.
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