Thursday 8 August 1963 | Candie Gardens Auditorium, St Peter Port, Guernsey
On 8 August 1963, The Beatles performed two shows at the auditorium at Candie Gardens in St Peter Port, Guernsey — their only concerts on the island. The shows, promoted by Baron Pontin, took place at 7pm and 9.15pm. The Beatles had arrived that morning by 12-seater aeroplane from Jersey, a 30-mile flight; their equipment travelled separately by ferry.
The Shows
Tickets were priced at 17 shillings and sixpence, 15 shillings, 12 shillings and sixpence, and 10 shillings. The support acts were Vic Sutcliffe, Les Dell, the Rob Charles Combo, The Robert Brothers and Mike Kelly.
The Guernsey concerts followed two nights performing in Jersey and were part of The Beatles’ busy summer 1963 schedule, during which they were rapidly becoming the biggest act in Britain. Their third single, ‘From Me To You’, had reached number one in May; ‘She Loves You’ would be released on 23 August 1963, just a fortnight after the Guernsey shows.
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The Beatles Abbey Road Pullover Hoodie in black.
The Night That Inspired ‘Polythene Pam’
After the shows, John Lennon visited the rented flat of beat poet Royston Ellis. The Beatles had first befriended Ellis after performing as his backing band in Liverpool in June 1960. Ellis later recalled what happened that night:
“We’d read all these things about leather and we didn’t have any leather but I had my oilskins and we had some polythene bags from somewhere. We all dressed up in them and wore them in bed. John stayed the night with us in the same bed. I don’t think anything very exciting happened and we all wondered what the fun was in being ‘kinky’. It was probably more my idea than John’s.”
— Royston Ellis, A Hard Day’s Write by Steve Turner
The incident later helped inspire Lennon’s song ‘Polythene Pam’, written in 1968 and released on Abbey Road (1969). In the song, Lennon sings of a girl who “got it together with a polythene bag” — a direct echo of the Guernsey night. Lennon later confirmed the connection, noting that the character was based on a “nice clean English girl” he had met, with the polythene detail drawn from the Ellis encounter.
The Beatles — officially licensed merch
The Beatles 1962 T-Shirt in sand.
Key Facts
| Date | Thursday 8 August 1963 |
| Venue | Candie Gardens Auditorium, St Peter Port, Guernsey |
| Shows | Two shows: 7pm and 9.15pm |
| Promoter | Baron Pontin |
| Ticket prices | 17s 6d, 15s, 12s 6d, 10s |
| Support acts | Vic Sutcliffe, Les Dell, Rob Charles Combo, The Robert Brothers, Mike Kelly |
| Travel | Beatles flew by 12-seater plane from Jersey (30 miles); equipment by ferry |
| Song inspired | ‘Polythene Pam’ (written 1968, released on Abbey Road, 1969) |
Candie Gardens, St Peter Port, Guernsey — where The Beatles performed two shows on 8 August 1963.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did The Beatles ever play in Guernsey?
Yes. The Beatles performed two shows at Candie Gardens in St Peter Port, Guernsey, on 8 August 1963. These were their only concerts on the island.
What inspired John Lennon’s song ‘Polythene Pam’?
The song was partly inspired by an incident on the night of 8 August 1963 in Guernsey, when Lennon visited beat poet Royston Ellis and the group dressed in polythene bags. The song was written in 1968 and released on Abbey Road in 1969.
Who was Royston Ellis?
Royston Ellis was a British beat poet who befriended The Beatles after they performed as his backing band in Liverpool in June 1960. He was living in Guernsey in August 1963 when Lennon visited him after the Candie Gardens shows.
How did The Beatles travel to Guernsey in 1963?
The Beatles flew from Jersey to Guernsey in a 12-seater aeroplane, a journey of approximately 30 miles. Their equipment was transported separately by ferry.
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