Mary Carr The site map of Woodstock '69

Mary Carr Woodstock Music & Art Fair was the brainchild of John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfeld, and Michael Lang. They were looking to capitalise on the booming music industry in the 1960s and a music festival was a perfect way to accomplish this. The festival was originally slated to be held at the Howard Mills Industrial Park in Wallkill, New York. However, the city council officials were not comfortable with the large volume of hippies descending into their city. Laws were passed that made it unsuitable for the event to be held there. It was just as well because the venue had a very industrial feel, which wasn’t the right vibe that the organisers were envisioning. Just one month before the three-day concert, they found the perfect location: a portion of the 600-acre dairy farm that belonged to Max and Miriam Yasgur. The farm is in the White Lake area of Bethel, surrounded by the Catskill Mountains.

Mary Carr Due to the limited time, there was a mad scramble to build the infrastructure for the concert. Concert goers were already streaming in, and the fencing, gates, and ticket booths were not completely finished. Only 50,000 people were expected to come, though they pre-sold over 100,000 tickets prior to the event. It was estimated that there were over 400,000 attendees.

Mary Carr Over the course of three days, 32 acts were performed on stage, including the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, The Who, Joan Baez and Santana. Woodstock officially ended on August 18, 1969 after Jimmi Hendrix’s performance. Source: https://youtu.be/g8MpRSPneHs

Mary Carr Santana - Evil Ways 1969 "Woodstock" Live Source: youtu.be/nPauXWjY4T8

Mary Carr The Hippie Movement in Woodstock '69

Mary Carr Concertgoers started camping outside of the Yasgur farm days before the concert. It was mostly attended by youths who wanted to escape into music while the country was in the midst of the civil rights movement and the controversial Vietnam War. Despite the huge crowds, terrible weather, muddy ground, and inadequate food, water, and sanitation facilities, Woodstock was largely peaceful and had a very harmonious vibe. “…You’ve proven something to the world…the important thing that you’ve proven to the world is that a half a million kids, and I call you kids because I have children who are older than you are, a half a million young people can get together and have three days of fun and music and have nothing but fun and music and God bless you for it!” - Max Yasgur Source: https://youtu.be/8Hfzv04sx4E

Mary Carr Janis Joplin performing "Ball & Chain" at the early morning of August 18, 1969. Source: https://youtu.be/h66qXAK-q3o

Mary Carr The legendary guitarist, Jimi Hendrix playing "The Star-Spangled Banner" (National Anthem of U.S.A ) Source: youtu.be/MwIymq0iTsw

Mary Carr What was supposed to be a money-making venture turned into huge losses as the unfinished fencing, gates, and ticket booths meant people were able to enter the venue without paying admission. However, Woodstock had a long-lasting legacy that goes beyond the musical acts. The success of Woodstock lied in bringing together like-minded people for a weekend of great fun and having a shared experience that only those in attendance could relate to.

Mary Carr Music-industry executive Danny Goldberg attended Woodstock in his 20’s as a freelance writer covering the event. He was quoted saying, “my biggest memory was getting there and the warmth, the good feeling of everybody … The music was less of a memory”. The 60s was a decade of innovation and uncertainty. The three-day Woodstock that fostered a sense of camaraderie and peace amongst the attendees, together with the triumph from the first Moon Landing, created a hopeful outlook for the future. Read more about the first Moon Landing here: https://memories.net/timeline/1969moonlanding--91008

Mary Carr