'60s Rock Bands  

Did you know?

The historic Woodstock Rock Festival was held on August 15–18, 1969. But it didn't actually take place in Woodstock, New York. Apparently the organizers (who were all in their 20s!) couldn't find a suitable space for their "3 Days of Peace & Music" and were forced to look elsewhere. Almost last minute they found an acceptable venue: a farm in the town of Bethel, which was about 60 miles away from Woodstock.

Although 186,000 tickets were sold before the scheduled weekend, the organizers did expect a few more to come hear Santana, Jefferson Airplane, and so many other legendary bands perform. But they weren't expecting that double that number would eventually make it through the miles-long traffic jams and muddy roads. By the way, this put Bethel on the map. The sudden surge in population briefly made it the third largest city in the state!

While the festival is long past, people can still see musicians perform at a 15,000-seat outdoor amphitheater. Located on the original site of the 1969 festival, the newly-built Bethel Woods Center for the Arts also has a museum and other attractions for visitors.

Since February 2017, the site – where tens of thousands of people watched Jimi Hendrix close out the festival with a psychedelic rendition of the national anthem – has finally been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Far out!