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‘Beach Blanket Babylon,’ San Francisco’s Long-Running Celebration of Camp, to End

The campy Beach Blanket Babylon musical revue show that has been a must-see for San Francisco tourists for 45 years is coming to an end.

Producer Jo Schuman Silver announced Wednesday the show’s final performances will be on New Year’s Eve 2019.

The show spoofs political and pop culture through characters in colorful costumes with massive, gravity-defying hats, including one with San Francisco’s skyline.

Silver says the show is ending because he felt it was the right time and not for financial reasons.

He says that when the show started in 1974, it was scheduled to run for only six weeks. Instead, the show became an international phenomenon and “the quintessential San Francisco experience.”

Silver estimated that the show has been seen by 6.5 million people from around the world.

See a slideshow of Beach Blanket Babylon photos below.

Copyright 2019 KQED