Thanks to all the coverage in the media, Woodstock had an impact far beyond its actual borders. Following Woodstock, an eponymous documentary film, the year was released to critical acclaim and distribution across the United States.
It really felt like it was a time for social and cultural change, mainly due to population demographics. According to the US Census Bureau, 36% of the US population was under 18 in 1960. A youth movement was underway.
Traffic Jams
On August 13, two days before the festival's start, there were already traffic jams caused by the exodus of people making their way to the festival grounds in an attempt to get there early and grab a spot before it gets too crowded.
Woodstock's organizers had prepared for a crowd of 150,000, but by the second day of the festival, somewhere between 400,000 to 500,000 had already descended upon Max Yasgur's dairy farm.
Woodstock
Despite the logistical nightmares and unexpected crowds, Woodstock went off relatively hitch-free. There were barely any reported crimes, and surprisingly not nearly as many fatalities as most skeptics were expecting.
The counterculture mantra of love and peace won out with an audience that almost reached half a million and it brought people together from all over the country.
The Era of Woodstock
Likewise, Woodstock's photos that circulated painted a picture to those on the outside of what it felt like to be there, and at this festival that was quickly becoming symbolic of the 'Woodstock generation.'
To an entire generation, Woodstock comprised the central tenets of the 1960s cultural revolution. Fifty years afterward, the legend of "3 Days of Peace & Music" lives on.
Media Coverage
A group of journalists worked amid the chaos of the Woodstock Music & Art Fair. However, initial coverage of the Woodstock event portrayed it as a disaster. However, a young generation of journalists saw the event differently.
As they returned to their newsrooms across America, the reporters and editors struggled to characterize the era-changing events that had occurred over the weekend.