The Acid Tests were a series of parties held by author Ken Kesey primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area during the mid-1960s, centered on the use of and advocacy for the psychedelic drug LSD, commonly known as "acid". LSD was not made illegal in California until October 6, 1966.
History
The name "Acid Test" was coined by Kesey, after the term "acid test" used by gold miners in the 1850s. He began throwing parties at his farm at La Honda, California. The Merry Pranksters were central to organizing the Acid Tests, including Pranksters such as Lee Quarnstrom and Neal Cassady. Other people, such as LSD chemists Owsley Stanley and Tim Scully, were involved as well.
Kesey took the parties to public places, and advertised with posters that read, "Can you pass the acid test?", and the name was later popularized in Tom Wolfe's 1968 book The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Musical performances by the Grateful Dead were commonplace, along with black lights, strobe lights, and fluorescent paint. The Acid Tests are notable for their influence on the LSD-based counterculture of the San Francisco area and subsequent transition from the beat generation to the hippie movement. The Jefferson Airplane song "A Song for All Seasons" (from Volunteers) mentions the Acid Tests.
Timeline
1965
27 November; Soquel, California: The first Acid Test was a party at Ken Babbs' house on 27 November 1965, although Babbs recalls it as being on Halloween night. A flyer allegedly shows that the Warlocks (one week before the band became known as the Grateful Dead) played at Soquel as the Warlocks on November 27. However, the authenticity of this flyer has been questioned, and several witnesses confirm that the Warlocks did not play a set at Soquel; they only casually played some of the Merry Prankster instruments. An original fluorescent paint and newsprint-collage Acid Test sign donated to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History by event co-organizer Ken Kesey in 1992 lists 'The Grateful Dead' as a musical performer, as well as The Fugs, alongside hand-drawn text on the sign reads: "Your essaying of it will be shared almost certainly (?) by some permutation or combination of the following [...]." In his book, Phil Lesh confirms that he did attend: "We were at the first Test not to play, but just to feel it out, and we hadn't brought any instruments or gear." Most likely Lesh was joined by Bob Weir and Jerry Garcia at the party. 4 December; San Jose, California: This time, the newly-renamed Grateful Dead did play, the first performance of their long career. 11 December; Muir Beach, California 18 December, Palo Alto, California
1966
8 January; San Francisco, California (Fillmore) 15 January; Portland, Oregon 21–23 January; San Francisco (Trips Festival at Longshoreman's Hall) 29 January; San Francisco, California (Sound City Studios) 5 February; Los Angeles, California - Sepulveda Unitarian Universalist Society 12 February; Watts, Los Angeles – Youth Opportunities Center 25 February; Los Angeles, California (Hollywood) – Cinema Theatre 12 March; Los Angeles, California (Danish Center) 19 March; Los Angeles, California (Pico) Carthay Studios 25 March; Los Angeles, California (Sunset Strip) – Troupers Club 30 September – 2 October; San Francisco State College – Whatever It Is Festival – three days 31 October; San Francisco, California — Acid Test Graduation (Bill Graham cancelled Winterland Ballroom event, Grateful Dead played at the California Hall (San Francisco, California) that night, and the event was held at a SoMa warehouse.)
1967
16 March; Houston, Texas (Brown College, Rice University) (despite the "graduation" concept of the final West Coast Acid Test, the actual final Acid Test of The Merry Pranksters was organized in Texas by Kesey's friend Larry McMurtry)
1968
24 October; Congress passes the Staggers–Dodd Bill, criminalizing the recreational use of LSD-25