Dueling Woodstocks: Two Festivals To Celebrate 50th Anniversary On Same Days

Two major festivals just miles apart will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the iconic Woodstock Festival on the same days. One will be produced by the original Woodstock promoters and the other by Live nation will be held on the original Woodstock site.

Heren courtesy of our partners at CelebrityAccess are the stories of each of the dueling Woodstocks.

Woodstock 2019 Officially Announced

Woodstock 1969’s Co-Producer and Co-Founder Michael Lang on Wednesday officially confirmed the return of the Woodstock Music & Arts Fair to mark its 50th anniversary.

The three-day event will take place from Friday, Aug. 16 through Sunday, Aug. 18 on a space in Watkins Glen – located in Upstate New York. Lang will oversee the team handling the curation and production of the festival.

“It’s time to put the speculation to rest and officially announce that Woodstock 50 is happening,” said Lang. “The original festival in ’69 was a reaction by the youth of the time to the causes we felt compelled to fight for – civil rights, women’s rights, and the antiwar movement, and it gave way to our mission to share peace, love and music. Today, we’re experiencing similar disconnects in our country, and one thing we’ve learned is that music has the power to bring people together. So, it’s time to bring the Woodstock spirit back, get involved and make our voices heard.”

While the festival is commemorating the anniversary of the festival, it won’t be taking place at the original location where Woodstock ’69 was held. The new location features 1,000 acres of greenfield and will provide space for three stages of music, as well as lodging, including space for tents, RVs, vans, and more premium camping options.

“The original site in Bethel is wonderful but much too small for what we’re envisioning,” said Lang. “Watkins Glen International gives us the ability to create something unlike any other commemorative event and something uniquely Woodstock,” he added. Watkins Glen International also has a place in music festival history as the home to Summer Jam in 1973. “It’s a beautiful location and an ideal site,” said Lang, noting that when he first saw it, he felt “an immediate emotional connection to the land.”

Details on the lineup are pending, but organizers promise “more than 60 of the biggest names and emerging talent in rock, hip hop, pop and country” with both classic and contemporary acts on offer.

“It will be primarily contemporary talent, but the legacy acts will be represented and honored,” said Lang.

Bethel Woods Announces Woodstock Anniversary Event

The Woodstock 50th anniversary is being produced under license from Woodstock Ventures. Woodstock Ventures was founded by Michael Lang, Joel Rosenman and the late John Roberts. Together, the co-founders along with Artie Kornfeld, produced the historic 1969 Woodstock Festival. Kornfeld will be rejoining the team to celebrate and put together Woodstock 50.

Additional details will be released in the coming weeks, including lineup and ticket information, as well as sponsors, and nonprofit partners.

ethel Woods Center for the Arts, located at the historic site of the 1969 Woodstock festival in Bethel, NY, Live Nation, and INVNT, a global live brand storytelling agency, have announced “Bethel Woods Music and Culture Festival: Celebrating the golden anniversary at the historic site of the 1969 Woodstock festival.”

The event, scheduled for Aug. 16-19, will feature “live performances from prominent and emerging artists spanning multiple genres and decades, and TED-style talks from leading futurists and retro-tech experts,” according to the announcement, and attendees can visit the Museum at Bethel Woods, which includes artifacts from the 1969 cultural event.

“We are thrilled to partner with Live Nation and INVNT to produce Bethel Woods Music and Culture Festival,” said Darlene Fedun, CEO, BWCA. “Fifty years ago, people gathered peacefully on our site inspired to change the world through music. As the stewards of this historic site, we remain committed to preserving this rich history and spirit, and to educating and inspiring new generations to contribute positively to the world through music, culture, and community.”