Woodstock

This article is about the 1969 music and art festival. For other uses, see Woodstock (disambiguation).

Woodstock
Promotional poster designed by Arnold Skolnick. Originally, the bird was perched on a flute.[1][2]
Genre
DatesAugust 15–17, 1969 (scheduled)
August 15–18, 1969 (actual)
Location(s)Bethel, New York
Coordinates41°42′04″N 74°52′48″W / 41.701°N 74.880°W / 41.701; -74.880
Years active1969; 55 years ago (1969)
FoundersArtie Kornfeld
Michael Lang
John P. Roberts
Joel Rosenman
Woodstock Ventures
Attendance460,000 to 500,000 people (estimate)
Websitewww.woodstock.com
Bethel  is located in the United States
Bethel 
Bethel 
class=notpageimage|
Location in the United States
Max Yasgur's  farm  is located in New York
Max Yasgur's  farm 
Max Yasgur's 
farm 
class=notpageimage|
Location in New York

The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York,[3][4] 40 miles (65 km) southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music" and alternatively referred to as the Woodstock Rock Festival, it attracted an audience of more than 460,000.[3][5][6][7] Thirty-two acts performed outdoors despite overcast and sporadic rain.[8] It was one of the largest music festivals in history and became synonymous with the counterculture of the 1960s.[9][10][11][12]

The festival has become widely regarded as a pivotal moment in popular music history, as well as a defining event for the silent and baby boomer generations.[13][14] The event's significance was reinforced by a 1970 documentary film,[15] an accompanying soundtrack album, and a song written by Joni Mitchell that became a major hit for both Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Matthews Southern Comfort. Musical events bearing the Woodstock name were planned for anniversaries, including the 10th, 20th, 25th, 30th, 40th, and 50th. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine listed it as number 19 of the 50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock and Roll.[16] In 2017, the festival site became listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[17]

  1. ^ "The Woodstock Poster". Archived from the original on May 16, 2021.
  2. ^ Jochem, Greta (August 16, 2019). "Pitch Perfect: Woodstock Needed a Poster and Arnold Skolnick Delivered a Cultural Icon". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Northampton, Mass. Archived from the original on August 17, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Jesse, Jarnow. Woodstock Music and Arts Fair. Oxford Music Online – Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.A2258729. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. Archived from the original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  4. ^ "Max Yasgar Dies; Woodstock Festival Was on His Farm". The New York Times. February 10, 1973. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 8, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  5. ^ "Peace and sharing dominate festival". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. August 18, 1969. p. 10. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  6. ^ "Music, art fair ends; 2 are dead". Chicago Tribune. UPI. August 18, 1969. p. 3, sec. 1. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  7. ^ Rock, Naomi (August 18, 1969). "'Great' rock festival ends without violence". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. p. 4A. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  8. ^ "State Investigating Handling of Tickets At Woodstock Fair". The New York Times. August 27, 1969. p. 45. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  9. ^ "Music festivals: What's the world's biggest?". BBC News. July 4, 2018. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  10. ^ "Woodstock | The Biggest Music Festival in History". www.english-online.at. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  11. ^ London, Luxury (July 6, 2021). "The most legendary music festivals of all time". Luxury London. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  12. ^ "How Woodstock Became a Symbol of U.S. Counterculture • Madame Blue". themadameblue.com. November 5, 2021. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  13. ^ Kilgannon, Corey (March 17, 2009). "3 Days of Peace and Music, 40 Years Later". Arts. The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  14. ^ "Baby Boomer Generation Fast Facts". CNN. November 6, 2013. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  15. ^ "Woodstock". IMDb. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  16. ^ "Woodstock in 1969". Rolling Stone. June 24, 2004. Archived from the original on February 9, 2007. Retrieved April 17, 2008.
  17. ^ "National Register of Historic Places listings for March 10, 2017". U.S. National Park Service. March 10, 2017. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2017.