The Woodstock Music and Art Fair | American music festival [1969] | Britannica.com The Woodstock Music and Art Fair American music festival [1969] Jimi Hendrix The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, the most famous of the 1960s rock festivals, held on a farm property in Bethel, New York , August 15–18, 1969. The Woodstock Music and Art Fair was organized by four inexperienced promoters who nonetheless signed a who’s who of current rock acts, including Jimi Hendrix , Sly and the Family Stone , the Who , the Grateful Dead , Janis Joplin , the Jefferson Airplane , Ravi Shankar , and Country Joe and the Fish. Poster for the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, August 15–17, 1969. PRNewsFoto/Signatures Network/AP Images The festival began to go wrong almost immediately, when the towns of both Woodstock and Wallkill, New York, denied permission to stage it.

(Nevertheless, the name Woodstock was retained because of the cachet of hipness associated with the town, where Bob Dylan and several other musicians were known to live and which had been an artists’ retreat since the turn of the century.) Ultimately, farmer Max Yasgur made his land available for the festival. Few tickets were sold, but some 400,000 people showed up, mostly demanding free entry, which they got due to virtually nonexistent security. Rain then turned the festival site into a sea of mud, but somehow the audience bonded—possibly because large amounts of marijuana and psychedelics were consumed—and the festival went on. The crowd at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Bethel, New York, August 1969. Bill Eppridge—Time Life Pictures/Getty Images Jimi Hendrix at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, 1969.

Henry Diltz/Corbis Although it featured memorable performances by Crosby, Stills and Nash (performing together in public for only the second time), Santana (whose fame at that point had not spread far beyond the San Francisco Bay area), Joe Cocker (then new to American audiences), and Hendrix, the festival left its promoters virtually bankrupt. They had, however, held onto the film and recording rights and more than made their money back when Michael Wadleigh’s documentary film Woodstock (1970) became a smash hit. The legend of Woodstock’s “Three Days of Peace and Music,” as its advertising promised, became enshrined in American history, at least partly because few of the festivals that followed were as star-studded or enjoyable. Joe Cocker performing at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, Bethel, N.Y., Aug. 17, 1969. Fotos International/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Grateful Dead front man Jerry Garcia appearing backstage at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, … Barry Z. Levine—Hulton Archive/Getty Images Similar Topics History of the Woodstock Music Festival of 1969 Updated August 29, 2016. What Was Woodstock?

The Woodstock Festival was a three-day concert (which rolled into a fourth day) that involved lots of sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll - plus a lot of mud. The Woodstock Music Festival of 1969 has become an icon of the 1960s hippie counterculture. Dates: August 15-18, 1969 Location: Max Yasgur's dairy farm in the town of Bethel (outside of White Lake, New York) Also Known As: Woodstock Music Festival; An Aquarian Exposition: Three Days of Peace and Music The Organizers of Woodstock The organizers of the Woodstock Festival were four young men: John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfeld, and Mike Lang. The oldest of the four was only 27 years old at the time of the Woodstock Festival. Roberts, an heir to a pharmaceutical fortune, and his friend Rosenman were looking for a way to use Roberts' money to invest in an idea that would make them even more money.

After placing an ad in The New York Times that stated: "Young men with unlimited capital looking for interesting, legitimate investment opportunities and business propositions," they met Kornfeld and Lang. continue reading below our video 4 Tips for Improving Test Performance The Plan for the Woodstock Festival Kornfeld and Lang's original proposal was to build a recording studio and a retreat for rock musicians up in Woodstock, New York (where Bob Dylan and other musicians already lived). The idea morphed into creating a two-day rock concert for 50,000 people with the hope that the concert would raise enough money to pay for the studio. The four young men then got to work on organizing a large music festival. They found a location for the event up in an industrial park in nearby Wallkill, New York. They printed tickets ($7 for one day, $13 for two days, and $18 for three days), which could be purchased in select stores or via mail order. The men also worked on organizing food, signing musicians, and hiring security. Things Go Very Wrong The first of many things to go wrong with the Woodstock Festival was the location.

No matter how the young men and their lawyers spun it, the citizens of Wallkill did not want a bunch of drugged-out hippies descending on their town. After much wrangling, the town of Wallkill passed a law on July 2, 1969 that effectively banned the concert from their vicinity. Everyone involved with the Woodstock Festival panicked. Stores refused to sell any more tickets and the negotiations with the musicians got shaky. Only a month-and-a half before the Woodstock Festival was to begin, a new location had to be found. Luckily, in mid-July, before too many people began demanding refunds for their pre-purchased tickets, Max Yasgur offered up his 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York for the location for the Woodstock Festival. As lucky as they were to have found a new location, the last minute change of venue seriously set back the Festival timeline. New contracts to rent the dairy farm and surrounding areas had to be drawn up and permits to allow the Woodstock Festival in the town had to be acquired. Construction of the stage, a performers' pavilion, parking lots, concession stands, and a children's playground all got a late start and barely got finished in time for the event.

Some things, like ticket booths and gates, did not get finished in time. As the date got closer, more problems sprung up. It soon appeared that their 50,000 people estimate was way too low and the new estimate jumped to upwards of 200,000 people. The young men then tried to bring in more toilets, more water, and more food. However, the food concessionaires kept threatening to cancel at the last minute (the organizers had accidentally hired people who had no experience in concessions) so they had to worry about whether or not they could airlift in rice as a backup food supply. Also troublesome was the last-minute ban on off-duty police officers from working at the Woodstock Festival. Hundreds of Thousands Arrive at the Woodstock Festival On Wednesday, August 13 (two days before the Festival was to begin), there were already approximately 50,000 people camping near the stage. These early arrivals had walked right through the huge gaps in the fence where the gates had not yet been placed.

Since there was no way to get the 50,000 people to leave the area in order to pay for tickets and there was no time to erect the numerous gates to prevent even more people from just walking in, the organizers were forced to make the event a free concert. This declaration of a free concert had two dire effects. The first of which was that the organizers were going to lose massive amounts of money by putting on this event. The second effect was that as news spread that it was now a free concert, an estimated one million people headed to Bethel, New York. Police had to turn away thousands of cars. It is estimated that about 500,000 people actually made it to the Woodstock Festival. No one had planned for half a million people. The highways in the area literally became parking lots as people abandoned their cars in the middle of the street and just walked the final distance to the Woodstock Festival. Traffic was so bad that the organizers had to hire helicopters to shuttle the performers from their hotels to the stage. The Music Starts Despite all the organizers' troubles, the Woodstock Festival got started nearly on time.

On Friday evening, August 15, Richie Havens got up on stage and officially started the Festival. Sweetwater, Joan Baez , and other folk artists also played Friday night. The music started up again shortly after noon on Saturday with Quill and continued non-stop until Sunday morning around 9 am. The day of psychedelic bands continued with such musicians as Santana , Janis Joplin , Grateful Dead , and The Who, to name just a few. It was obvious to everyone that on Sunday, the Woodstock Festival was winding down. Most of the crowd left throughout the day, leaving about 150,000 people on Sunday night. When Jimi Hendrix , the last musician to play at Woodstock, finished his set early on Monday morning, the crowd was down to only 25,000. Despite the 30-minute lines for water and at least hour-long wait to use a toilet, the Woodstock Festival was a huge success. There were a lot of drugs, a lot of sex and nudity, and a lot of mud (created by the rain). After the Woodstock Festival The organizers of Woodstock were dazed at the end of the Woodstock Festival.

They didn't have time to focus on the fact that they had created the most popular music event in history, for they first had to deal with their incredible debt (over $1 million) and the 70 lawsuits that had been filed against them. To their great relief, the film of the Woodstock Festival turned into a hit movie and the profits from the movie covered a large chunk of the debt from the Festival. By the time that everything was paid off, they were still $100,000 in debt. Woodstock Music Festival concludes - Aug 17, 1969 - HISTORY.com Woodstock Music Festival concludes Publisher A+E Networks On this day in 1969, the grooviest event in music history–the Woodstock Music Festival–draws to a close after three days of peace, love and rock ‘n’ roll in upstate New York. Conceived as “Three Days of Peace and Music,” Woodstock was a product of a partnership between John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfield and Michael Lang. Their idea was to make enough money from the event to build a recording studio near the arty New York town of Woodstock.

When they couldn’t find an appropriate venue in the town itself, the promoters decided to hold the festival on a 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York–some 50 miles from Woodstock–owned by Max Yasgur. By the time the weekend of the festival arrived, the group had sold a total of 186,000 tickets and expected no more than 200,000 people to show up. By Friday night, however, thousands of eager early arrivals were pushing against the entrance gates. Fearing they could not control the crowds, the promoters made the decision to open the concert to everyone, free of charge. Close to half a million people attended Woodstock, jamming the roads around Bethel with eight miles of traffic. Soaked by rain and wallowing in the muddy mess of Yasgur’s fields, young fans best described as “hippies” euphorically took in the performances of acts like Janis Joplin, Arlo Guthrie, Joe Cocker, Joan Baez, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Sly and the Family Stone and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

The Who performed in the early morning hours of August 17, with Roger Daltrey belting out “See Me, Feel Me,” from the now-classic album Tommy just as the sun began to rise. The most memorable moment of the concert for many fans was the closing performance by Jimi Hendrix, who gave a rambling, rocking solo guitar performance of “The Star Spangled Banner.” With not enough bathroom facilities and first-aid tents to accommodate such a huge crowd, many described the atmosphere at the festival as chaotic. There were surprisingly few episodes of violence, though one teenager was accidentally run over and killed by a tractor and another died from a drug overdose. A number of musicians performed songs expressing their opposition to the Vietnam War, a sentiment that was enthusiastically shared by the vast majority of the audience. Later, the term “Woodstock Nation” would be used as a general term to describe the youth counterculture of the 1960s. A 25th anniversary celebration of Woodstock took place in 1994 in Saugerties, New York. Known as Woodstock II, the concert featured Bob Dylan and Crosby, Stills and Nash as well as newer acts such as Nine Inch Nails and Green Day.

Held over another rainy, muddy weekend, the event drew an estimated 300,000 people. Related Videos What Happened in 1969 inc.

Pop Culture, Prices Significant Events, Key Technology and Inventions How Much things cost in 1969 Yearly Inflation Rate USA 5.46 % Yearly Inflation Rate UK 5.6% Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 800 Average Cost of new house $15,550.00 Average Income per year $8,550.00 Average Monthly Rent $135.00 Average Cost New Car $3,270.00 Toyota Corona $1,950.00 Gas per Gallon 35 cents Alarm Clock from Westclox $9.98 Below are some Prices for UK guides in Pounds Sterling Average House Price 4,640 Gallon of Petrol 6 shillings 2 pence or 31 new pence 1969 1969 On July 20th one of mans crowning achievements occurred when American Astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the Moon and uttered the immortal words "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." .

The opposition to the war continued to increase with more and more attending anti war demonstrations and demanding that the US withdrew from Vietnam. The music came from groups including the Doors, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin and the Beatles and the most famous music festival of modern times "WOODSTOCK" took place on a New York Farm on August 17th with more than 400,000 avid music fans attending to see the Who, Jimi Hendrix, Crosby Stills Nash and Young and others perform live. fashions reflected the anti war sentiment with military jackets adorned with peace signs, and other trends including long unkempt wild hair and headbands showed the feelings of anti establishment felt by the youth. Moon Landing The first man is landed on the moon on the Apollo 11 mission by the United States and Neil Armstrong and Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the Moon. and the famous words "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." will become part of our history More Information and Timeline For The First Man On The Moon 1.

1961 May 25th President Kennedy asks Congress for $531 million to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade 2. 1963 June 16th Russians put the first woman in space on the Vostok 6 3. 1965 March 18th First space walk by the Russian cosmonaut Alexey Leonov from the Voskhod 2 4. 1966 March 16th first docking of two spacecraft Gemini 8 Commanded by Neil Armstrong docks with unmanned Agena Target Vehicle 5. 1968 December 24th Apollo 8, was the first human space flight to leave Earth orbit and enter a different orbit around the moon. 6. 1969 July 16th Apollo 11 Launched from the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 in Merritt Island, Florida carrying Neil A. Armstrong ( Commander ) Michael Collins ( Command Module Pilot ) and Edwin "Buzz" E. Aldrin, Jr. ( Lunar Module Pilot ) 7. July 19th Apollo 11 passed behind the Moon and fired its service propulsion engine to enter lunar orbit. 8.

July 20th Lunar module (LM) Eagle ( Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" E. Aldrin, Jr. ) separated from the command module Columbia ( Michael Collins ) . 9. July 20th Lunar module (LM) Eagle lands on the moons surface in the Sea of Tranquillity 10. july 21st Neil Armstrong stepped off Eagle's footpad and uttered his famous line "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind " Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin joined him, describing the view as "Magnificent desolation." 11. July 21st Lunar module (LM) Eagle leaves the moons surface to rendezvous with Columbia 12. July 24th The command module Columbia carrying the 3 astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean Estimates put the number who watched or listened to the Moon landing between 1/2 and 1 billion people around the world ( From Webmaster I consider myself privileged to have watched and listened to Neil A. Armstrong's famous words "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind " ) .

For Information for the Space Race 1961 , The second manned moon mission, Apollo 12, successfully launches and lands on the moon. More Information and Timeline for Apollo 12 Apollo 12, the second manned moon mission, launched on November 14th of 1969 carrying astronauts Charles Conrad Jr., Alan Bean, and Richard Gordon Jr. The mission successfully landed on the Moon on November 19th about 950 miles away from where the Apollo 11 mission had landed. The mission's objectives included seismic experiments, examining the Surveyor III spacecraft, studying possible future landing sites, and human ability to work on the moon, among many other things. The crew tried to broadcast parts the mission but the television camera was damaged by sun exposure soon after landing. The crew left on November 20th and got to Earth on November 24th, after having spent about 31 hours on the surface of the moon.

Significant Live Music Events in 1969 Woodstock attracts more than 350,000 rock-n-roll fans, Atlanta International Pop Festival on 4th July attracts 100,000 fans, Isle of Wight Festival attracted an audience of approximately 150,000 More Information and Timeline For Significant Music Events in 1969 1. January 30th The Beatles, with Billy Preston, gave their final live performance on the roof of the Apple building in London, England, the live performance was an impromptu event that ran for 42 minutes featuring Get Back, I Want You (She's So Heavy), Don't Let Me Down, I've Got A Feeling, One After 909, Danny Boy, Dig A Pony, God Save The Queen and A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody later featured as the climax of their Let It Be film 2.

March 25th to March 31st Following The Marriage of John Lennon and Yoko Ono on March 20th in Gibralta they hold a week-long Bed-In for Peace at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel inviting the world's press into their hotel room every day between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m 3. July 4th Atlanta International Pop Festival attracted an audience of approximately 100,000 to watch 16 performers including Janis Joplin, Johnny Rivers, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Canned Heat, Joe Cocker, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Sweetwater and Led Zeppelin 4.

August 15th to 18th The Woodstock Festival attracted an audience of approximately 500,000 to watch 35 performers including Ravi Shankar, Joan Baez, Santana, Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin with The Kozmic Blues Band, Sly & the Family Stone, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Joe Cocker, The Band, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Jimi Hendrix at White Lake, New York, U.S.A. 5. August 30th and 31st Isle of Wight Festival attracted an audience of approximately 150,000 to watch 26 performers including Bob Dylan, The Who, Blonde On Blonde, Joe Cocker, The Moody Blues and Free at Wootton, Isle Of Wight, England 6.

September 13th Toronto Rock and Roll Revival attracted an audience of approximately 20,000 to watch 20 performers including Chicago, Alice Cooper, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Little Richard, Doug Kershaw and The Doors, Screaming Lord Sutch and John Lennon, Yoko Ono and The Plastic Ono Band at at Varsity Stadium, of the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada 7. December 6th Altamont Speedway Free Festival attracted an audience of approximately 300,000 to watch 10 performers including The Rolling Stones, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young at Altamont Speedway, California, U.S.A. The concert is best known for having been marred by considerable violence caused by alcahol and drugs including by the Hells Angels motorcycle club who were used for security round the stage.

1969 provided so many significant live music events that I thought they should be included in a Music Timeline for the year, I hope you enjoyed taking the trip in time and memories that the timeline provides United Kingdom -- Beatles "Abbey Road" The Beatles record Abbey Road, their final album together. More Information and Timeline for The Beatles Abbey Road The Beatles release Abbey Road on September 26th. Abbey Road was not the group's final album to be released to the public but it was their final album to be recorded together. The classic album's cover art featured the iconic photograph of John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison walking across a zebra crossing near the entrance to the famous Abbey Road recording studio. This rock album featured such popular songs as "Here Comes the Sun," "Come Together," "Something," and "Oh! Darling." The full track listing includes: Come Together, Something, Maxwell's Silver Hammer, Oh! Darling, Octopus's Garden, I Want You, Here Comes the Sun, Because, You Never Give Me Your Money, Sun King, Mean Mr.

Mustard, Polythene Pam, She Came In Through The Bathroom Window, Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, The End, Her Majesty It also topped the charts around the world once released, staying in the UK and US charts for over 80 weeks. While there were initially mixed reviews about the album, many fans believe it to be the best the band had ever produced and it remains one of the top selling Beatles albums of all time. The first communications are sent through the ARPANET on October 29th, 1969. More Information and Timeline for the ARPANET 1. ARPA (Advance Research Projects Agency) was created in 1958 2. In 1966 the creation of the ARPA computer network, or ARPANET, began. 3. The first point of the ARPANET was installed at a computer in UCLA in September of 1969 4. In October, the second point was installed at a computer in the Stanford Research Institute. 5. The first communication between the two is sent and received across the new network on October 29th, 1969. 6.

After that, it is installed at several other universities across the United States. 7. ARPANET, the predecessor to the Internet, was not demonstrated to the public until 1972 8. By 1989 the ARPANET had become somewhat obsolete and was shut down. Project ( Blue Book ) The U.S. Air Force closed its Project ( Blue Book ) concluding there was no evidence of UFO's. More Information and Timeline for Project Blue Book. Project Blue Book, the United States Air Force's investigation into unidentified flying objects (UFOs), officially comes to an end on December 17, 1969. The investigations began in 1952 when government officials started to collect information related to UFO sightings. Between 1952 and 1969, there were over 12,000 reports compiled by officials and of those reports all but 701 cases were identified as either an atmospheric, astronomical, or man-made event. The project concluded that UFOs did not threaten national security and did not present evidence of extraterrestrial life or technology and the US government decided that it would be far to costly to continue to investigate UFO sightings.

Police forces in the United States crack down on student protests Popular Culture 1969 A free concert organized by the Rolling Stones is held at Altamont Speedway in Livermore, Calif with problems caused by the use of Hells Angels as Bouncers resulting in a number of deaths The Groundbreaking TV programme Monty Python's Flying Circus is shown for the first time and the catch phrase "And now for something completely different," becomes their trade mark Sesame Street known for its Muppet characters, makes it's debut on PBS Bell Bottom Jeans and tie-dye shirts become part of the teenage fashion scene. The John Lennon Album "Two Virgins" featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the nude are confiscated at Newark Airport The Beatles' last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records. The Beatles release their album Abbey Road. bringing the 1960's to an end Sesame Street debuts on Public Television Brian Jones Former Rolling Stones Guitarist drowns after drinking and drugs binge.

Popular Films First Concorde test flight is conducted In France First transplant of human eye Seiko sells the first Quartz Watch The Harrier Jump Jet enters service with the RAF The Palestine Liberation Organization ( PLO ) is founded The first automatic teller machine ATM or Cash Machine is installed in the United States Creation of ARPANET, the predecessor of the Internet The Boeing 747 jumbo jet makes its debut. It carried 191 people, most of them reporters and photographers, from Seattle to New York City. UNIX is developed by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am the epitome of the American muscle car is introduced.

The Microprocessor ( a miniature set of integrated circuits ) is invented opening the way for the computer revolution that followed Inventions Invented by Inventors and Country ( or attributed to First Use ) Internet USA US military Manned Moon Landing USA Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin walk on Moon CCDs USA Charge Coupled Device - to capture image Cash Dispenser Turkey by Luther Simjian Battery Powered Smoke Detector USA Australia -- Prime Minister -- John Gorton -- Brazil -- President -- Costa e Silva -- Till 31 August Brazil -- President -- Military Joint Tri -- From 31 August Brazil -- President -- Military Joint Tri -- Till 30 October Brazil -- President -- Emilio Medici -- From 30 October Canada -- Prime Minister -- Pierre Trudeau -- China -- Chairman of the People's Republic of China -- Song Qingling -- France -- President -- Charles de Gaulle -- Till 28 April France -- President -- Georges Pompidou -- From 20 June Germany -- Chancellor -- Kurt Georg Kiesinger -- Till 21 October Germany -- Chancellor -- Willy Brandt -- From 21 October India -- Prime Minister -- Indira Gandhi -- Italy -- Prime Minister -- Mariano Rumor -- Japan -- Prime Minister -- Eisaku Sato -- Mexico -- President -- Gust

avo Diaz Ordaz -- Russia / Soviet Union -- First Secretary of the CPSU -- Leonid Brezhnev -- South Africa -- Prime Minister -- Balthazar Johannes Vorster -- United States -- President -- Lyndon B.

Johnson -- Till January 20, United States -- President -- Richard Nixon -- From January 20, United Kingdom -- Prime Minister -- Harold Wilson -- Top 10 Woodstock Performances Top 10 Woodstock Performances REDDIT Hulton Archive, Getty Images The grounds were muddy, littered with hippies and smelled like an uninviting combination of reefer and feces. But the Woodstock Music & Art Fair — which took place in Bethel, N.Y., on Aug. 15-18, 1969, featured a ton of great music. More than 30 artists performed over the three-day weekend. Some were established stars, others were just getting their start. And most of them had breakthrough performances at the festival. Even if their sets weren’t all that great, they were elevated by their association with the granddaddy of all music fests. These are the Top 10 Woodstock Performances. 10 By the time Jefferson Airplane got onstage at around 8AM Sunday, they, as well as much of the audience, were wiped out. The band has never sounded so raw and frayed.

Their 100-minute set was made up of familiar hits like ‘Somebody to Love’ and ‘White Rabbit,’ but the early-morning performance took a toll on them. Still, they spring to relative life for three glorious minutes during ‘Volunteers,’ finding community and jam-band spirit in the song’s tireless groove. ‘The “Fish” Cheer’ / ‘I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag’ Country Joe and the Fish A three-hour downpour following Joe Cocker’s set (see No. 4 on our list of the Top 10 Woodstock Performances) delayed the music for a while. When things started back up, the drenched audience was ready for anyone. They got Berkeley-bred psych-rocker Country Joe McDonald and his ragtag band. They weren’t very good, but their set-closing song is one of the festival’s defining moments: a crowd-cheering chant of ‘f—‘ gives way to ‘I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag,’ an antiwar cut that fired up the Vietnam-weary Woodstock nation.

Woodstock Music | History The History of Woodstock Woodstock Music Festival August 15-16-17-18, 1969 In August 1969, the most celebrated music festival in history took place. At a time when Americans were deeply divided, nearly 500,000 people from across the country gathered to celebrate “Three Days of Peace and Music.” The three days of legendary performances, unimaginable mud, and unforgettable experiences helped the Woodstock Music and Art Fair become a symbol of an entire generation, and made Woodstock a name known all over the world. Woodstock History Background The Town of Woodstock – established in 1787 – is located in New York State, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) north of New York City. It is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of the City of Kingston, which is situated on the Hudson River. Woodstock played host to a number of painters of the Hudson River School in the late 1800’s. In 1902, the Arts and Crafts Movement came to Woodstock. Ever since then Woodstock has been considered an active artists colony.

From 1915 through 1931 Hervey White’s Maverick Art Colony held the Maverick Festivals, “in which hundreds of free spirits gathered each summer for music, art, theater and drunken orgies in the woods. A series of Woodstock Soundouts were staged on the outskirts of the town from 1967 to 1970. These events featured folk and rock acts like Richie Havens, Paul Butterfield and Van Morrison. Together with the area’s reputation as an arts center, these inspired the original Woodstock Festival’ organizers to plan their concert in the town. The Organizers of Woodstock The Woodstock Festival was organized by four young men: John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfield, and Mike Lang. The oldest of the four was only 27 years old at the time of the Woodstock Festival. Roberts – an heir to a pharmaceutical fortune – and his friend Rosenman were looking for a way to use Roberts’ money to invest in an idea that would make them even more money. After placing an ad in the New York Times that stated: “Young men with unlimited capital looking for interesting legitimate investment opportunities and business propositions,” they met Kornfield and Lang.

The Plan for the Woodstock Festival Kornfield and Lang’s original proposal was to build a recording studio and retreat for rock musicians up in Woodstock, New York (where Bob Dylan and other musicians already lived). The idea morphed into creating a two-day rock concert for 50,000 people with the hope that the concert would raise enough money to pay for the studio. The four young men then went to work organizing a large music festival. They found a location for the event in an industrial park in nearby Wallkil, New York. However, this location was rejected by the town fathers, so the organizers finally settled for a 600 acre dairy farm location in Bethel, New York. They printed tickets ($7 for one day. $13 for two days, and $18 for three days), which could be purchased in select stores or via mail order. They also worked on organizing food, signing musicians, and hiring security. Despite all the organizer’s challenges, the Woodstock Festival got started nearly on time. On Friday evening, August 15 TH, Richie Havens went on stage and officially opened the Festival. Sweetwater, Joan Baez, and other folk artists also played that night.

The music resumed again shortly after noon on Saturday with Quill, and went on non-stop until Sunday morning around 9:00 AM. The day of psychedelic bands went on with such musicians as Santana, Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, and The Who, as well as others. By Sunday, it was obvious that the festival was winding down. Most of the crowd left that day, leaving about 150,000 people on Sunday night. Jimi Hendrix, the last musician to play at Woodstock, finished his set on Monday morning. By then the crowd was down to about 25,000 people. Thus, the most popular musical event in history ended. Yes, history was made that weekend by a concert that was heard around the world, and Woodstock became a name known around the world. © 2011 Woodstock Music. All Rights Reserved.

Woodstock begins in upstate New York - Aug 15, 1969 - HISTORY.com Woodstock begins in upstate New York Share this: Woodstock begins in upstate New York Author Woodstock begins in upstate New York URL Publisher A+E Networks The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, “An Aquarian Exposition,” opens at Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in upstate New York. Promoters expected the music festival, modeled after the famous Monterey Pop Festival, to attract up to 200,000 for the weekend, but nearly a half a million people converged on the concert site. Promoters soon realized that they could not control access to the site and opened it up to all comers free of charge. Because of the unexpected size of the audience, volunteers were needed to help alleviate many of the logistics problems, while helicopters were used to fly in food, doctors, and medical supplies, as well as many of the musical acts that performed during the three-day festival.

Despite rain and mud, the audience enjoyed non-stop performances by singers like Richie Havens, Janis Joplin, Arlo Guthrie, Joe Cocker, and Joan Baez, as well as the bands Creedence Clearwater Revival; The Grateful Dead; The Jefferson Airplane; Sly and the Family Stone; and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Although many different types of people attended the festival, many were members of the counterculture, often referred to as “hippies,” who rejected materialism and authority, experimented with illicit drugs, and actively protested against the Vietnam War. Much of the music had a decided anti-war flavor. Representative of this genre was the “Fixin’ to Die Rag” by Country Joe and the Fish. This song and its chorus (“And it’s one, two, three, what are we fighting for… Don’t ask me, I don’t give a damn, next stop is Vietnam…And it’s five, six, seven, open up the pearly gates… There ain’t no time to wonder why… Whoopie, we’re all gonna die!”) became an anti-war classic.

Jimi Hendrix closed the concert with a freeform solo guitar performance of “The Star Spangled Banner.” Woodstock became a symbol of the 1960s American counterculture and a milestone in the history of rock music. On Aug. 12, 1994, the much-publicized Woodstock II music festival takes place in Saugerties, New York, near the site of the legendary Woodstock concert of 1969. An estimated 300,000 people attended the event, marked—as was the original—by bad weather and pervasive mud. Some 50 bands and singers performed, including the Neville Brothers, Nine Inch Nails, Bob Dylan, Green Day, Jimmy Cliff, and Crosby, Stills and Nash.

Related Videos FAMOUS ROCK FESTIVALS OF THE 60'S FAMOUS ROCK FESTIVALS of the 1960's Monterey International Pop Festival 16th-18th Jan 1967 50,000 attended Acts included:The Mamas & the Papas, The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, Canned Heat, Laura Nyro, Buffalo, Springfield, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Ravi Shankar, Booker T.

& the MG's, Hugh Masakela, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, The Association, The Electric Flag, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Blues Project, Country Joe & The Fish Newport Pop Festival 4th-5th August 1968 100,000 attended Acts included: The Byrds, Illinois Speed Press, Steppenwolf, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Chambers Brothers Band, Tiny Tim, Iron Butterfly, The James Cotton Blues Band, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band Miami Pop Festival 28th-30th December 1968 99,000 attended Acts included: Fleetwood Mac, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Chuck Berry, Flat and Scruggs, Steppenwolf, Ricjie Havens, Sweetwater, Terry Reid, The McCoys, Pacific Gas & Electric, Marvin Gaye, Joni Mitchell, The Box Tops, Iron Butterfly, Jr.

Walker & the All Stars, Joe Tex, The Grateful Dead, The Turtles, Ian & Sylvia Newport '69 20th-22th June 1969 150,000 attended Acts included: Ike & Tina Turner, The Rascals, Johnny Winter, The Byrds, Booker T.

& the MG's, Eric Burdon, Taj Mahal, Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jethro Tull, Spirit, Joe Cocker Newport Jazz Festival (featuring special Rock performances) Newport, RI 3rd-6th July 1969 78,000 attended Acts included: Jeff Beck; Led Zeppelin; Ten Years After; Blood, Sweat & Tears; James Brown; Jethro Tull Atlanta Pop Festival 4th-5th July 1969 110,000 attended Acts included: Chicago, Spirit, Joe Cocker, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ten Wheel Drive, Delaney & Bonnie, Cannet Heat, Ian & Sylvia, Johnny Winter, Led Zepplin, The Staple Singers Atlantic City Pop Festival 1st-3rd August 1969 110,000 attended Acts included: Three Dog Night, Canned Heat, Little Richard, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, B.B. King, Booker T. & the MG's, Joni Mitchell, The Chambers Brothers, Dr.

John, Iron Butterfly, Procol Harum, Janis Joplin, Arthur Brown Woodstock 15th-17th August 1969 400,000+ attended Acts included: Jimi Hendrix; The Who; Melanie; Country Joe & the Fish; Tim Hardin; The Grateful Dead; Johnny Winter; John Sebastian; Ravi Shankar; The Paul Butterfield Blues Band; Ten Years After; Creedence Clearwater Revival; Blood, Sweat & Tears; Arlo Guthrie; The Band; Richie Havens; Sly & the Family Stone; Santana; Canned Heat; Sweetwater; Sha Na Na; Keef Hartley; The Incredible String Band; Joan Baez; Jefferson Airplane; Joe Cocker; Quill; Bert Somnier; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Texas International Pop Festival 30th August - 1st September 1969 120,000 attended Acts included: Janis Joplin, Johnny Winter, Rotary Connection, Sam & Dave, Grand Funk Railroad, Led Zeppelin, Delaney & Bonnie, The Incredible String Band, Nazz, Santana, Spirit, Sweetwater, Tony Joe White, Chicago

 Altamont 6th December 1969 300,000 attended Acts included: The Rolling Stones; Jefferson Airplane; The Flying Burrito Brothers; Santana; Corsby, Stills, Nash & Young - All 32 Bands that Performed at Woodstock | HowStuffWorks All 32 Bands that Performed at Woodstock Start the Countdown Sly & the Family Stone's music, which combined soul, funk, and psychedelia, became popular after their performance at Woodstock.

The Woodstock Music and Art Festival was held August 15-18, 1969, not in Woodstock but in Bethel, New York, 40 miles away. Woodstock was supposed to host the festival, but when rumors spread that attendance could reach a million people, the city backed out. Farmer Max Yasgur saved the concert by hosting the more than 500,000 attendees in his alfalfa field. With the huge crowd, there were shortages of food, water, and restrooms, but most revelers still enjoyed some of the best musical acts of the era. Here's the lineup from that fateful weekend.

Question: What famous musical festival was held on August 15-18, 1969?
Answer: Woodstock