Woodstock Festival | Everything You Need to Know About This Historic Event.

The Woodstock Music Festival began on 15th August 1969, attracting a staggering half a million people eager for the festival to open at a dairy farm near Bethel, New York. Celebrated as a must-see experience, Woodstock was a festival that unfolded over three days of intense peace and music ("Peace and Music"). This iconic event would later simply be known as Woodstock, becoming a symbol of the 1960s counterculture movement. While Woodstock was a tremendous success, the massive concert faced its share of troubles: last-minute changes, inclement weather, and overwhelming crowds caused significant headaches. Despite the rain during the festival, the vast amounts of drugs, sex, and rock 'n' roll made Woodstock a peaceful celebration that solidified its place in the history of hippie culture.

The Creation of Woodstock

The Woodstock Music Festival was conceived by four men, all aged 27 or younger, seeking an event that could blend their business ambitions with their passions for rock and hippie culture. The founders were John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfeld, and Michael Lang.

These four businessmen were not unfamiliar with such ventures. Lang had previously organised the Miami Music Festival in 1968, and Kornfeld was the youngest vice-president at Capitol Records. Roberts and Rosenman were New York entrepreneurs involved in building a recording studio in Manhattan. Together, they formed Woodstock Ventures, Inc. and made the decision to organise a music festival.

Creedence Clearwater Revival was the first major act to sign on, lending Woodstock the credibility it needed to attract other renowned musicians.

Where Was Woodstock?

The original plan for Woodstock was to hold the event at Howard Mills Industrial Park in Wallkill, New York.

However, the city officials in Wallkill were spooked and withdrew from the agreement by passing a law that made it impossible to host the concert in their jurisdiction.

Woodstock Ventures investigated a few other locations, but none worked out. Finally, just a month before the concert, Max Yasgur, a 49-year-old dairy farmer, offered to rent them some of his land in the White Lake area of Bethel, New York, nestled in the lush Catskill Mountains.

With just a month to go, the frantic partners seized the opportunity and paid the requested price.

Woodstock, Not in the Town of Woodstock

Max Yasgur likely never imagined he would host a half a million people on his 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York. But for three consecutive days in August 1969, his idyllic pastures became a nexus of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll during Woodstock, the music festival that changed the world.

Despite being called the Woodstock festival, Yasgur's dairy farm was actually more than 50 kilometres from the town of Woodstock, and not even within walking distance.

Woodstock Becomes a Free Concert

Woodstock was not intended to be a free concert. However, a lack of time and organisation led the concert promoters to be compelled to make the concert free. The main reason was that the ticket booths and security barriers were not ready for the event's start. With no means to control access to the festival and collect fees from festival-goers (no ticket booth), they had no choice but to make the festival free.

According to Lang, in an interview with the Telegraph, "You try to get the gates and fences done, but you have your priorities. People are coming, and you have to feed them, take care of them, and give them a show. So you set priorities."

With no effective means to charge spectators, Lang and his partners decided to make Woodstock a free event.

Enormous Influx of Festival-Goers

Initially, about 50,000 people were expected. But by 13th August, just two days before the concert, that number had already been exceeded, with over 100,000 tickets sold in advance.

As around one million people flocked to Woodstock, its organisers hurried to add more facilities. Highways and local roads became congested, and many attendees simply abandoned their cars and walked the rest of the way. Ultimately, around half a million people arrived at the site.

The Audience

The audience at Woodstock was diverse and mirrored the rapid changes of the era. Some were hippies feeling alienated by a materialistic society, while others were simply rock lovers.

In 1969, the country was embroiled in the controversy of the Vietnam War, a conflict many young people opposed vehemently. It was also the time of the civil rights movement, a period marked by significant unrest and protests. Woodstock was an opportunity for people to escape into music and promote a message of unity and peace.

Despite facing inclement weather, muddy conditions and shortages of food, water, and proper sanitation, the overall atmosphere was harmonious. In hindsight, some attribute the absence of violence to the large amounts of psychedelic drugs consumed.

Others believe that the hippies were simply living out their mantra of "make love, not war". In fact, many at Woodstock took this commandment to heart and made love at any time and anywhere.

Safety and Security Issues

Doctors, paramedics, and volunteer nurses staffed Woodstock's medical tent. Most injuries were minor, such as food poisoning and barefoot injuries.

It was reported that eight women experienced miscarriages. A teenager died after being crushed by a tractor, and another person died from a drug-related incident. However, this was minimal considering the influx of festival-goers (around half a million).

Security was limited as off-duty police officers were barred from entering. It is estimated there were no more than a dozen police officers to monitor 500,000 people.

Artists at Woodstock

Thirty-two musicians, a mixture of local talents and world-renowned names, performed at Woodstock. Around 5 PM on Friday, 15th August, Richie Havens took to the stage and played a 45-minute set.

Havens was followed by an impromptu blessing from yoga guru Sri Swami Satchidananda. The other artists on the first day included:

• Bert Sommer
• Sweetwater
• Melanie
• Tim Hardin
• Ravi Shankar
• Arlo Guthrie
• Joan Baez

Baez performed the end of her set amidst torrential rain. The first day came to a close around 2 AM on 16th August.

The second day officially began around 12:15 PM, with performances including:

• Quill
• Country Joe McDonald
• John Sebastian
• Keef Hartley Band
• Santana
• The Incredible String Band
• Canned Heat
• Mountain
• The Grateful Dead
• Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Janis Joplin
• Sly and the Family Stone
• The Who
• Jefferson Airplane

The second day concluded around 9:45 PM on Sunday, 17th August.

The third day began around 2 PM. Joe Cocker was the first artist to perform. The rest of the lineup included:

• Country Joe and The Fish
• Ten Years After
• The Band
• Johnny Winter
• Blood Sweat and Tears
• Crosby Stills Nash and Young
• Paul Butterfield Blues Band
• Sha Na Na
• Jimi Hendrix

Hendrix was the last performer at Woodstock. Due to delays caused by the rain, he wasn’t able to take the stage until early Monday morning, and by the time he performed, the audience had dwindled to around 25,000 people.

There were also several artists who declined to participate in the Woodstock event, such as:

• Simon and Garfunkel
• Led Zeppelin
• Bob Dylan
• The Byrds
• The Moody Blues
• The Doors
• Roy Rogers
• John Lennon
• Chicago Transit Authority
• The Rolling Stones

The Legacy of Woodstock

Woodstock officially came to an end on Monday, 18th August, after Hendrix left the stage. Departing from Woodstock was no easier than arriving. Roads and highways quickly became congested as festival-goers returned home.

Cleaning up the site was a colossal task that took several days, requiring numerous bulldozers and tens of thousands of dollars.

In 2006, the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts opened on the hill where the Woodstock Music Festival took place. Today, it hosts outdoor concerts in its beautiful pavilion, along with a 1960s museum on-site.

Many popular musicians have performed at the Bethel woods, including some who took the stage at Woodstock, such as Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Santana, Arlo Guthrie, and Joe Cocker.

Woodstock might best be summed up by Max Yasgur, the humble farmer who offered his land for the occasion. Addressing the audience on the third day, he said: "....you have proven something to the world...what you have demonstrated to the whole world is that half a million kids, and I call you kids because I have children older than you, half a million young people can gather and have three days of fun, music and nothing but fun, and music, and may God bless you!”

Reliving the Woodstock Festival

Jimi Hendrix performs 'The Star-Spangled Banner' on the final morning of the Woodstock concert in 1969.

Santana plays 'Soul Sacrifice' on the second day of the Woodstock festival in 1969.

Jefferson Airplane performs 'White Rabbit' on the second day of the Woodstock music festival in 1969.

Festival-goers leave the Woodstock festival in 1969 to return to their lives after three days of music, peace, and love.