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| 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.[1][2]
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".[3]
Several accidental deaths at the beach and a murder were also damaging to the festival's reputation.[citation needed]
An arrest warrant was issued for promoter Alex Cooley, who avoided arrest by leaving the island before the festival was over.[4]
- ^ Santelli, Robert. Aquarius Rising – The Rock Festival Years. 1980. Dell Publishing Co., Inc. p. 271
- ^ "The Festival That Should Never Have Been" (PDF). Marysolfestival.com. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ "Youth". The New York Times. 9 April 1972. Archived from the original on 23 July 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ "Alex Cooley Presents: Mar Y Sol Puerto Rico International Pop Festival". Alexcooley.com. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2019.