ON THIS DAY IN 1969, ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC MUSIC FESTIVAL IN ROCK HISTORY BEGAN WHEN WOODSTOCK KICKED OFF

Attracting an audience of over 400,000, the festival was the biggest ever held at the time and became a symbol for the hippy counterculture movement.

Planning the festival was an extensive process and at least two other venues were selected and then cancelled due to public outcry. The venue crisis was solved when a dairy farmer named Max Yasgur held the event on his property. This change occurred only three days before the event, which didn’t give organisers enough time to sort out security and ticketing booths and so a decision was made to make the festival free. This nearly left the organisers and promoters bankrupt, until the soundtrack and documentary film released in 1970 helped recuperate the losses.

Some of the biggest names in rock played at Woodstock, giving it it’s legendary status. Bands like Canned Heat, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, The Band and The Grateful Dead ensured great entertainment and big numbers for the festival. The event has since been called a pivotal moment in rock history as well as a definitive nexus for the upcoming counterculture generation.