Acid Tests

The Acid Tests were a series of psychedelic parties held by Ken Kesey in the San Francisco Bay Area during the early 1960's, centered entirely around the use, experimentation, and advocacy of LSD, also known as "acid."

The name "Acid Test" was coined by Kesey, after the term "acid test". He advertised the parties with posters that read, "Can You Pass The Acid Test?", and the name was later popularized in Tom Wolfe's 1968 novel, "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test." Musical performances by the Grateful Dead (then the Warlocks) 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.