You would expect that a festival that’s all about peace and love and nature would attract people that cared for the environment. But this wasn’t the case with Woodstock, in fact, by looking at the photo below, we can get a clear picture of how people left the place. The land and the entire town of Bethel were left in such a mess, that even after the land owner, Yasgur, was approached the following year about another festival, he immediately refused. The townspeople even came up with a law forbidding another festival to take place.
Woodstock’s 25th anniversary, in 1994, took place about 10 miles from Bethel, in a town in New York called Saugerties. More than 550,000 people attended. Again, a much higher number than the organizers expected. Five years later, another Woodstock was held in Rome, New York, and there were a number of reports of violence, sexual assaults, and fires.
People Could Buy a Blue Jean for $5 and a Stand Was Set on Fire
The hippie mentality didn’t keep people from doing business at the festival. People sold everything from food, clothing, and a variety of items. The couple in this photo sold jeans, tops, hats, shirts, and more for just $5.
Food was also sold for nearly nothing until at one point, one food stand ran out of burgers and raised the price of each hamburger from 25 cents to $1. People got angry at what they considered a “capitalist” move that wasn’t keeping with the tone of the festival. Chaos ensued and people finally set the stand on fire.
Most People Missed Hendrix’s “Star-Spangled Banner”
This photo, showing two men in a van painted with the American flag, depicts how, even though hippies were against the “system” and certainly the government, they still loved their country and were very patriotic. And one of the festival’s most patriotic moments was when Jimi Hendrix played his magnificent version of the U.S. anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”.
Since Hendrix was one of the main performances of the festival, he was scheduled to play last, but after changes in programming, Hendrix’s set was postponed an entire day. By that time, most of the people had left, so only a few heard Hendrix’s legendary performance.
A Girl and Her Pet Monkey
This is an amazing photo of a girl posing next to her pet monkey. Since Woodstock was all about peace and love and respect for all living things, it’s not surprising some people came with their animals.
Many people brought their dogs to the festival, but this girl went a step further and decided to bring her pet monkey with her.
Bob Dylan Did Not Perform at the Festival
Not many know that the original idea was to build a recording studio in Woodstock, New York. A group of people invested in the project, which was getting famous for its artistic projects and brilliant musicians, such as Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, and more.
As it turned out, the investors had a change of heart and decided to have a massive concert instead. They chose the name Woodstock because of its connection to Bob Dylan. Ironically enough, he didn’t even perform at the festival. Apparently, one of his kids got very sick at the last moment and he couldn’t attend.