Woodstock 50's Lights are Officially Out
Sad news for everyone who wanted to revive the energy of 1969: Woodstock 50 has been unplugged. After months of struggling to secure financial support and only three weeks away from the scheduled event, the anniversary event’s executive team decided to avoid potential further comparison to the notorious Fyre Festival by ceasing operations.
"We are saddened that a series of unforeseen setbacks has made it impossible to put on the festival we imagined with the great lineup we had booked and the social engagement we were anticipating," said Michael Lang, co-founder of the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival in a statement with Variety. "We thank the artists, fans and partners who stood by us even in the face of adversity."
Woodstock 50 would have taken place August 16-18 in Watkins Glen, New York, featuring present-day stars including Miley Cyrus and Halsey as well as original Woodstock performers like Santana and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s John Fogerty. After months of speculation, the cancellation became inevitable after Dentsu Aegis, a primary financial company for the event, withdrew and essentially cancelled the festival on their own.
"Despite our tremendous investment of time, effort and commitment, we don't believe the production of the festival can be executed as an event worthy of the Woodstock Brand name while also ensuring the health and safety of the artists, partners and attendees,” Dentsu claimed in a statement to Billboard.
Lang and other executives involved in the planning of Woodstock 50 relentlessly attempted to keep the celebration afloat, but their efforts failed to save the sinking ship. On July 26, the festival officially released the entire artist line-up from their contracts and officially cancelled the event. The team avoided a cheese-sandwich-filled fiasco and instead did their best to unwind the situation properly, still providing artists with their promised payment and encouraging them to donate 10 percent of their fees to a cause of choice, such as HeadCount.
“Woodstock remains committed to social change and will continue to be active in support of HeadCount’s critical mission to get out the vote before the next election," Lang's statement continued. "We thank the artists, fans and partners who stood by us even in the face of adversity. My thoughts turn to Bethel and its celebration of our 50th Anniversary to reinforce the values of compassion, human dignity, and the beauty of our differences embraced by Woodstock.”
Though the nostalgic energy of Woodstock 50 will ultimately not come to be in full, the event's planned weekend still has some festivities in store: Santana, Fogerty, and Ringo Starr have a scheduled performance at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, where the “We Are Golden” exhibition will commemorate the 50 years of Woodstock.
