Beatlemania and other British-inspired tunes circa the mid-1960s will invade Downtown Kent on Friday, Feb. 20 with performances at more than 16 different venues.

All shows are free to attend with the first performance starting at 5 p.m. with Babies in Black playing at the Secret Cellar.

In the slew of performances taking place Friday night, some acts not to miss include Abbey Road, Box of Squirrels, Nate Jones Band, Ritch Underwood & The Monopoly, and Beatles karaoke.

Abbey Road will perform at Dominick’s from 8 p.m. to midnight. The Northeast Ohio Beatles tribute band celebrates its 32nd year of touring as one of the oldest tributes. The band even uses the same type of guitars and amplifiers as the Beatles.

You can catch Nate Jones Band from 8 to 11 p.m. at Zephyr Pub. A Cleveland native, Jones brings his singing/songwriting together with rock, folk and blues. His soulful sound has been compared to artists like James Taylor, Paul Simon and Stephen Stills.

What’s better than karaoke? Beatles karaoke. The Loft will be singing along to all things Beatles from 8 p.m. to midnight. Belt out your own rendition of “Hey Jude” with a beer in your hand and sway along with your friends during the “na na na na na na na.”

Box of Squirrels, an acoustic, folk band with rock ‘n’ roll roots, will celebrate Beatles music with their own twist when they take the stage at the Secret Cellar from 9:30 to 11 p.m.

Ritch Underwood & The Monopoly will play at Venice Cafe from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. To this day, the Beatles have been Underwood’s favorite band. He’s played with musicians like Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Joe Walsh. In 1971, Monopoly was formed and have been playing with Underwood ever since.

Enjoy your Friday night with the sights and sounds of one of the world’s greatest rock bands. To get the full schedule and view updates, visit kentbeatlefest.com.

Contact Megan Brown at [email protected].