Mar y Sol Pop Festival
| Mar y Sol Pop Festival | |
|---|---|
"The hardest thing I’ve ever tried to do. It was just very difficult." – Alex Cooley | |
| Genre | hard rock, blues rock, folk rock, jazz, jazz fusion, progressive rock, and salsa. |
| Dates | scheduled: April 1–3, 1972, but ran over to April 4 |
| Location(s) | Manatí, Puerto Rico (at the time, that area was mistakenly thought to be part of Vega Baja) |
| Founders | Alex Cooley |
| Attendance | 35,000 |
| Website | marysol-festival |
The Mar y Sol Pop Festival (also referred to as Mar y Sol Festival or simply Mar y Sol – Sea and Sun) was a rock festival that took place in Manatí, Puerto Rico, about thirty miles west of San Juan, on April 1–4, 1972. It was held on 420 acres (1.7 km2) of countryside adjacent to Los Tubos beach in Manatí on the north shore of the island. An estimated 30–35,000 people attended the festival.
Almost every review by newspapers and magazines condemned the festival as being unsuccessful and uncomfortable. These included Creem, The New York Times as well as local newspapers El Nuevo Día, El Imparcial, El Mundo and The San Juan Star. One exception was New York Times reporter Les Ledbetter who printed a column on April 9 titled "It was a success – ask the people".
Several accidental deaths at the beach and a murder were also damaging to the festival's reputation.
An arrest warrant was issued for promoter Alex Cooley, who avoided arrest by leaving the island before the festival was over.