PREVIEW: Bicycle Day 2023: A Storied Psychedelic Tradition In The City By The Bay [B.Getz on L4LM]

April 13, 2023April 15, 2023 B.Getz albert hoffman, Bay Area, Bicycle Day, dirtwire, discovery sessions, discoverycon, iterate, LSD, psychedelics, the floozies, the human experience

originally published on Live For Live Music

On Wednesday April 19th, Bicycle Day SF will once again host a phantasmagorical evening of live music and high art at The Midway SF in festive celebration of Albert Hofmann’s discovery of LSD 80 years ago to the day. Bicycle Day 2023’s musical lineup is super stacked, featuring The Floozies, Dirtwire, The Human Experience, Iterate with Jonathan Singer, Treavor Moontribe (of Desert Dwellers), Rachel Torro, Little John, Ruby Chase, DJ Monk Earl, and LYJA, augmented by many other dynamic performers.

In addition to the multiple rooms of music, Bicycle Day 2023 will showcase a wide swath of eclectic artists, live painters, digital illustrators, expressive dancers, and more. A planned happy-hour/art gallery walk will be hosted by Jennifer Ingram of the Tribe 13 artist collective. Grass Valley’s The Chambers Project will present the work of renowned psychedelic creators including Alex Grey, MARS-1 and Oliver Vernon of Furtherrr Collective, Robert Venosa, and more. Other artists involved include Anthony “Flowers” Ward, Amanda Sage, Autumn Sky Morrison, Blake Foster, Randal Roberts, and many more. For a complete list of visual artists, go here

Bicycle Day 2022 Recap Video

For over a decade, Bicycle Day SF has fostered community and connection in the San Francisco and greater Bay Area with its annual psychedelic art and music festival. Last year’s iteration expanded and evolved like never before: After beginning with a intriguing conference exploring psychedelic culture during the day, the festivities unspooled into a euphoric dance party that raged deep into the night. The infamous Bicycle Day soiree is hosted in the grand psychedelic tradition of landmark Bay Area lysergic gatherings of yesteryear, from the Merry Pranksters’ iconic Acid Tests in the mid-1960’s and 1967’s Human Be-In, right up through the contemporary Burning Man culture of today.

Rechristened DiscoveryCon, this year’s daytime symposium will branch out to two days of programming. Participants include Hamilton Morris, Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, Carolyn Mountain Girl Garcia, Rhoney Stanley, Seth Ferranti, Vince Kadlubek, Mikaela de la Myco, Isaac Abrams, Leonard Pickard, Jordan Gruber, representatives from the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and Decriminalize Nature, a team of doctors and researchers from UCSF’s Neuroscape unit, and many other luminaries in psychedelic pantheon. Find out more about the vast array of speakers here.

To add on, after the presentations and programming, DiscoveryCon will have live music lined up from 5-7:30pm featuring Scott Guberman & Friends. When DiscoveryCon concludes, The Midway SF will magically transform into a psychedelic wonderland, offering numerous musical performances and multimedia art that will transcend what one would expect from your average nightclub experience. Check out a few samples of the music to come below.

The Floozies Live at Gem & Jam 2023

Dirtwire Live at Broad Brook Opera House

As the organizers of the event explained in a statement, “At Bicycle Day SF, we seek to amplify that signal and broadcast that vibration, honoring the Good Doctor and all of those who followed in his footsteps, as well as push the envelope with new technologies that seek to entertain, inspire and evoke conscious evolution. Psychedelic Culture has been called the family of light, and those that get it, understand. The idea of union and a collective good is a core principle in the psychedelic experience. A feeling of connection, good vibes, and deeper understanding is part of the trip. We embrace that and once again we celebrate the Good Doctor, Albert Hofmann and the bicycle ride that changed the world.”

Bicycle Day SF 2023 and DiscoveryCon are both brought to you by The Legion of Bloom Music in partnership with The Midway SF. Tickets for Bicycle Day SF 2023 and Discovery Con are available for purchase on Tixr.

words: B.Getz