Photos of Woodstock 1969, on Its 50th Anniversary

Fifty years ago, more than 400,000 people descended on Bethel, New York, headed to a dairy farm owned by Max and Miriam Yasgur, where the Woodstock Music & Art Fair was being held. Planners had told the Yasgurs and town officials that they expected no more than 50,000 attendees, and were overwhelmed by the huge crowds. Over three days, 32 acts performed onstage, including Joan Baez, Santana, the Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Sly and the Family Stone, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, The Band, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Jimi Hendrix. Woodstock became a major cultural event, amplified by news coverage, a popular documentary film, and the music that became symbolic of an era.

Read more
Hints: View this page full screen. Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.

Most Recent

  • Valeria Ferraro / Anadolu / Getty

    Photos of the Week: Gruffalo Maze, Panama Swing, Luminous Mane

    An orangutan rehabilitation center in Borneo, an iceberg-filled fjord in Greenland, scenes from the Republican National Convention, a fire festival in Japan, and much more

  • Bettmann / Getty

    A Century Ago, the Paris 1924 Summer Olympics

    Images of the many events, athletes, and spectators at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris

  • NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Janice Lee, Thomas Williams, PHANGS Team

    Two Years of Amazing Images From the James Webb Space Telescope

    A collection of images from the James Webb Space Telescope’s second year in space

  • David W Cerny / Reuters

    Photos of the Week: Death Valley, Hill Town, Eleventh Night

    A stegosaurus fossil up for auction in New York, a newborn pangolin at the Prague Zoo, a Volleyball on Water tournament in Slovenia, a lightsaber training session in Mexico City, and much more