43 years after the summer of love, the Drum Circle is alive and well on San Francisco’s ‘Hippie Hill’.  In Golden Gate Park near the Haight, it’s a scene right out of the 60’s when the mantra was good view, good vibes and good drugs.  You can’t help but conjure up images of a Robert Altman photograph.  The beat goes on for hours on any given weekend – but it can truly be appreciated on a beautiful day.  From jugglers to musicians to martial arts practitioners, you’ll find a wide range of talent in the spot where the phrase “do your own thing” was reportedly born.

Hippie Hill symbolizes counter culture, free thinking and legal marijuana use.  The huge smoke celebration in April (420) generates a lot of attention to this spot and attracts a large number of uploads to YouTube.

In 1967, George Harrison is also said to have strummed some tunes on a borrowed guitar here before leading  a crowd into the Haight.  And, for a neat piece of trivia – Harry Reasoner did a news special that included this landmark location back in 1967.  “The Hippie Temptation“.  According to the TV preview from August 22, 1967 when it was to air on CBS, the program would – “…focus (a) spotlight on dropouts from the “straight” world and examine their problems, their reasons for becoming hippies, their reactions to LSD trips, and even present a hippie musical group called “The Grateful Dead.”  Timeless TV!  Some of those dubbed the “way out” kids are still here.  But it’s the energy that lingers on along with the ‘altruistic philosophies’.  Everyone is welcome on Hippie Hill.