WOODSTOCK

Submitted by ub on

Woodstock

The Woodstock Music and Art Fair was a legendary rock festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur’s 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel NY.

Billed as "3 Days of Peace & Music", it drew an estimated crowd of nearly 500,000 people and became a defining moment of 1960s counterculture. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Festival Logistics and Reality
  • The Crowd: Organizers originally expected around 50,000 people, but over 400,000 showed up, creating massive 20-mile traffic jams on local highways.
  • Free Event: Because the massive crowds knocked down fences and overwhelmed the gates, the event effectively became a free concert.
  • Conditions: Attendees faced severe food and water shortages, intense heat, and heavy rain that turned the farm into thick mud.
  • Travel: Artists had to be airlifted in and out of the concert grounds by helicopters because roads were completely impassable. [1, 2]
    Legendary Lineup
Thirty-two musical acts performed over the course of the four days: [1, 2, 3]
  • Opening Act: Richie Havens opened the festival with his iconic improvised song "Freedom".
  • Key Performers: Jimi Hendrix (who closed the festival on Monday morning with his electric rendition of the "Star-Spangled Banner"), Janis Joplin, The Who, Grateful Dead, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
A documentary exploring the challenges, music, and cultural impact of the 1969 festival:
Woodstock: The Festival That Defined a Generation | Music Documentary

10 famous people who attended 1969 festival but never performed.

https://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/2026/08/woodstock-11-famous-people-who-attended-1969-festival-but-didnt-perform.html

Links