Woodstock festival was the most famous outdoor rock music concert of the 1960’s. It was also known as the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival. The festival became a symbol of the “Woodstock Nation.” The Woodstock Nation were a group of young people during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.These young people distrusted authority and standard American values. They supported the freedom to openly experiment with drugs and sex.
Woodstock helped rock music become more popular and a bigger business than ever. The festival and the documentary film Woodstock (1970) promoted a new generation of performers. Their music was more offbeat and varied than the hits played on Top 40 radio programs. Songs that allowed musicians creative expression gained popularity as a result of the festival. Many were songs that the music industry considered uncommercial. Musical highlights of the festival included the Grateful Dead; Jimi Hendrix; Jefferson Airplane; Janis Joplin; Santana; and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.
The Woodstock festival took place near Bethel in upstate New York. The fields where it took place were owned by a farmer named Max Yasgur. The festival had been planned to be held in Wallkill, New York, near Woodstock. However, promoters moved the event to Yasgur’s fields after Wallkill residents objected. Over 300,000 rock fans attended. Many of them were students, hippies, and opponents of the Vietnam War.
Woodstock ran from Aug. 15 to 17, 1969. Promoters called it “Three Days of Peace and Music.” The festival remained peaceful even though conditions created a potential for disaster. Rains drenched the crowd. Food and water grew scarce. Despite the problems, the concertgoers kept a spirit of communal celebration and harmony.
