Roll Up! For the Magical Mystery Tour: An Examination of Beatles Fandom, Pilgrimage and Identity

Abstract

By examining ethnographic data collected at Beatles tourist sites such as Strawberry Fields, The Cavern, 20 Forthlin Road, Mendips, the Casbah Coffee Club, St Peter's Church, and Penny Lane, this project explores the connection between place and identity. Claiming that for Beatles fans, visiting sites associated with the band they love constitutes an act of pilgrimage, giving the individual a way to interact with a place that is important to them. In examining this action of pilgrimage, the author argues that this process links place and identity, as a fans ability to contextualise the site is based on knowledge gained from their fandom. This act of site contextualisation based on fandom not only gives meaning to the site, but also allows the individual to reinforce their identity as a Beatles fan.