News has been making the rounds of a festival set to mark the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, three days of peace and music.
The official Woodstock 50 has now been confirmed, with Michael Lang, one of the event’s original organisers, announcing the three-day festival in Watkins Glen, NY.
The official Woodstock 50th Anniversary concert has been announced for August. Expect music, tributes and legacy bands, social activism and the original Woodstock values.
The event will take place from 16-18 August. There are set to be 60 performers spread across the three stages, all functioning as little neighbourhoods with their own vibe.
Michael Lang announced the performance via The New York Times and Rolling Stone.
Lang told Rolling Stone:
“Woodstock, in its original incarnation, was really about social change and activism. And that’s a model that we’re bringing back to this festival. It’s a gathering for fun and for excitement and for experiences and to create community, but it’s also about instilling kind of an energy back into young people to make their voices heard, make their votes heard.”
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“It’ll be hip-hop and rock and some pop and some of the legacy bands from the original festival…I want it to be multi-generational,” he told the Rolling Stone. Lang also outlined that some contemporary bands will perform in celebration of the original Woodstock performers.
Lang noted the many lessons to be learnt from Woodstock ’99, which was a disaster. “Woodstock ’99 was just a musical experience with no social significance,” he said.
“It was just a big party. With this one, we’re going back to our roots and our original intent.” Sanitation issues, reports of sexual assaults in the mosh pit, overpriced essentials, fires and riots are just some of the issues the festival encountered.
Lang told The New York Times that they expect to sell 100,000 three-day passes to the event.
Lineup and ticket information is set to be released over the next few weeks.
