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.
Photos of Woodstock 1969, on Its 50th Anniversary
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A man drives a Volkswagen Beetle ahead of a long line of cars on the way to the Woodstock Music & Art Fair, while flashing a peace sign through the sunroof of the car, in Bethel, New York, in August 1969. #
Ralph Ackerman / Getty -
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Festivalgoers hang from bent metal tubing as another untangles rope to tie the tubes together to form a tent frame on the grounds of the Woodstock Festival in August 1969. #
Ralph Ackerman / Getty -
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Near the "Free Stage" at the Woodstock Music & Arts Fair, a shirtless young man in a leather vest makes a face as he leans against a decorated school bus used by the Hog Farmers, a group who had been asked to help construct, ensure security, and provide food for the event. #
Ralph Ackerman / Getty -
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