In August 1969, on a dairy farm in Bethel, New York, four organisers in their twenties set out to put on a festival for 50 000 people. After several changes of venue, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair opened its doors on 15 August 1969.
It was billed as “3 Days of Peace & Music”, but the organisers' real aim was profit. They wanted to build a recording studio near the town of Woodstock. Instead, the festival landed them in a mountain of debt, and cemented them in the history books forever.
Here's what really went down at Woodstock more than half a century ago. And how did it compare with the diabolical Woodstock '99, the festival that Netflix revisited in Trainwreck: Woodstock '99?
Woodstock 1969 facts
The festival went through several venue changes
Woodstock was never meant to take place in the town of Woodstock, New York. The first proposed site was in Wallkill, New York.
Pressure from locals forced the organisers to find a new home just six weeks before the festival. A dairy farmer in Bethel, New York, agreed to host it on 600 acres (about 240 hectares) of land, although the move set the organisers back.
More than eight times as many people showed up
The organisers assured local authorities that no more than 50 000 tickets would be sold. Reported attendance was between 400 000 and 500 000 people.
That's roughly the population of a city like Miami. Reportedly another 500 000 people were turned away, which would have taken the total past a million.
Most attendees never paid to get in
Three days before the festival opened, 50 000 people had already camped on the site. With too little fencing, too few gates and not enough ticket booths, the entrance was overrun and nobody had to pay.
The original ticket price was $18 for the weekend, which is roughly $160 in today's money.
The traffic was insane
Roads to the festival were gridlocked, and even some of the opening performers couldn't arrive on time. Many bands couldn't even leave the airport. Local radio stations told listeners not to attend.
Richie Havens, the opening act, ended up running out of songs and made up the hit “Freedom” on the spot.
The organisers had to hunt for a loan
Amid the chaos, performers demanded to be paid before they went on stage. John Roberts, one of the four organisers, secured a loan from a local bank and put up his trust fund as collateral.
It left the organisers millions of dollars in debt.
There was no food after the first day
The unexpected crowd overwhelmed the food suppliers, who had little experience of an event this size. When the price of a burger went up from 25c to $1 (roughly $9 today), frustrated attendees burnt the food stall down.
Granola became the staple food at the festival.
The US Army dropped off supplies by helicopter
When locals heard that people were going hungry, they arranged for the Army to airlift in more than 10 000 sandwiches, plus water, fruit, canned goods and medical supplies.
The festival ran into an extra day.
Almost everyone smoked a joint and took LSD
Security was very limited, which let people express their belief that substances were mind-expanding tools. Reports at the time suggested that almost every attendee smoked a joint.
LSD was also popular, and was gaining momentum in the late 1960s. A single tab could reportedly be bought for $1 to $5, which is roughly $9 to $45 today.
Other substances on offer included heroin, mushrooms, mescaline, amphetamines, cocaine and opium.
Two people died and thousands were injured
One young person was run over by a tractor while asleep in a sleeping bag, and another died of a drug overdose. Shocking as that is, it works out to a fatality rate of about 0.0004%, which is pretty low for such a disorganised event.
Another 5000 people needed treatment for drug overdoses, food poisoning, sore feet and other minor injuries.
Most people missed the iconic Hendrix moment
Jimi Hendrix closed the festival, wearing a blue-beaded white leather jacket and a red head scarf. His psychedelic take on the US national anthem is one of the most iconic moments of the 1960s.
But his contract said he had to close the show, and with the extra day added, it was around 10am on Monday morning. By then most of the crowd had left or was burnt out, and they missed it. Hendrix was also the highest-paid performer.
Woodstock 1969 FAQ
When did Woodstock 1969 take place?
Woodstock ran from 15 to 18 August 1969, finishing on the Monday morning after an extra day was added.
How many people died at Woodstock 1969?
Two people died out of 400 000 to 500 000 attendees, which is about 0.0004%. One died of an overdose and the other was run over by a tractor.
Who performed at Woodstock 1969?
Some of the most popular acts were Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, Joe Cocker, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Who was the highest-paid act at Woodstock 1969?
Jimi Hendrix received $18 000 in 1969. Adjusted for inflation, that's roughly $160 000 today.
Where did Woodstock 1969 take place?
In the town of Bethel, New York, in Sullivan County, on a 600-acre dairy farm owned by Max Yasgur, who agreed to host it after other locations fell through. It's about 160 km north-west of New York City. The site is now home to the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, which has a museum dedicated to the festival and hosts concerts and other events.
