(Writer: Doug Quimby)

August 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival that was held in Woodstock New York in 1969. The original festival had performances by the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, Santana, and other iconic artists. Around 400,000 people attended the 3 day festival in August 1969. It’s 50 years later and Woodstock will be happening again, but there’s going to be two of them. August 16-18 this year, at the original site of Woodstock, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and Live Nation Concerts will be hosting the Bethel Woods Music and Culture Festival. This festival will have live music and TED-style talks. On the same weekend, Michael Lang, one of the founders of the original Woodstock festival, is hosting Woodstock 50 at Watkins Glen, New York.

The Bethel Woods Music and Culture Festival is taking place at the historic site of the 1969 Woodstock festival from August 16-18th. The lineup hasn’t been announced yet, but this festival will be featuring artists from different decades and genres. There will also be TED-style talks from leading futurists and retro-tech experts. People attending this festival will also be able to visit the Museum at Bethel Woods. This museum tells the story of the 1960s through immersive media, interactive engagements, artifacts from the 1969 festival, and the new We Are Golden exhibit. Information on tickets and lineup will be announced soon.

Woodstock 50 will take place at Watkins Glen from August 18-19th. The lineup and ticket pricing will be announced in February. Michael Lang told Rolling Stone that over 40 artists have already been booked for the weekend. “It’ll be hip-hop and rock and some pop and some of the legacy bands from the original festival” he said to the magazine. Michael Lang plans on making sure this anniversary festival stays true to the roots of the original Woodstock in 1969.