August 15, 2019: Fifty years ago today, “more than 400,000 people descended on Max Yasgur’s 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, NY” for the Woodstock Music Festival. Though the event was a logistical nightmare, no other music festival would “compare to the cultural and historical significance of Woodstock's 3 days of peace, love, and music.”[1]
The Census Bureau estimated that 64,811 people worked at the event. Still, the logistical headaches meant the event staff could not keep unticketed attendees out, so Woodstock became a free concert. The local roads were so overwhelmed that many performers were stuck in traffic when the show began. The entire schedule had to be re-worked.
Performers at the event included Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, and Joe Cocker. The final performer was Jimi Hendrix.
After the crowds departed, venue owner Max Yasgur said that Woodstock proved to the world that "half a million people can get together and have three days of fun and music, and have nothing but fun and music."[2]
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