Tie-dye shirts
Woodstock '69 is one of the most famous festivals of all time. It's known for being hosted right in the middle of the "hippie era". In the picture above you can see a stand selling tie-dye shirts, which became synonymous with hippie fashion in the late sixties.
The festival didn't have official merchandise, so these shirts were the closest they got to festival-specific clothing. Today, you can still find tie-dye shirts in a lot of stores. But it all began back in the sixties.
For a lot of people, Woodstock '69 was a once in a lifetime experience. With great music, great people, a lot of fun and loads of freedom, it was a festival like no other. Other festivals since have tried to reproduce the magic, but all have failed.
You'll find some incredible Woodstock photos below!
Flower crown
Another example of hippie fashion: the flower crown. Today, you'll find people at other festivals like Coachella and Sziget mimicking this trend, which has its roots in the sixties.
You couldn't turn a corner at Woodstock without seeing someone with the iconic headdress. Looking at the picture above takes you straight back to '69.
More hippie fashion
This woman is also dressed in true hippie fashion. Back in the late sixties, this was a very popular look. In the following photo's you'll see a lot of visitors who look similar to the woman in the picture above. Dressing like this was a real statement of the counterculture. And of course Woodstock was visited en masse by cultural rebels.
You'll find more incredible Woodstock photos below
All aboard
On the picture above, you can see a group of friends who arrived at Woodstock in a van. The van serves as a makeshift raised platform to watch the shows from. A great way to watch acts like The Who, Jimmie Hendrix, Santana, Janis Joplin and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Yes, all those iconic bands played at this particular festival back in 1969.
Freedom
There is no way you'd see the scene pictured in the photo above at a festival today. Woodstock was a festival of freedom. With that came a lack of rules. This festivalgoer was able to bring his motorcycle with him onto the festival grounds, where he used it as a lounger. And who can blame him! It looks quite comfortable.
The food
400,000 people went to the festival. The organization had not taken this amount of people into consideration, so food was scarce. Lines were long and opportunities to feed yourself few and far in between. Still, this didn't prevent people from enjoying themselves. Today, not a lot of people talk about the food at the festival. The atmosphere and the music are the preferred subjects.
Friends & fun
The picture above is a good depiction of the atmosphere at Woodstock '69. It was a great experience to share with good friends. Looking at the picture, we almost wish we were there during that summer in 1969. These people must have had so much fun during this iconic music festival.
Traffic
As we mentioned before, over 400,000 people attended the festival. The organization hadn't considered that many people, so there were some logistical problems. One of them was the road towards the festival grounds. The enormous amount of enthusiastic festivalgoers caused a traffic jam that lasted many hours.
Love
Many couples first met on the festival grounds of Woodstock '69. Great music, a great atmosphere, good weather and a lot of fun are apparently great conditions for love to flourish. The couple in the picture above enjoy each others company as much as they are enjoying the festival.
You'll find more incredible Woodstock photos below!
Jimi Hendrix
The legendary Jimi Hendrix performed at Woodstock '69. His rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, the US national anthem, is one of the most famous recordings of this festival. But did you know that not a lot of people heard it in real life? Hendrix played it at 9 am, on the last day of the festival. A lot of people had already gone home by then.
Friends
These two friends have probably made great memories at Woodstock '69. It was one of those moments in your life that you will remember for the rest of it, and will look back on and talk about fondly until the end of your days. Woodstock '69 was, without a doubt, a legendary music festival.
400,000 people
There were over 400,000 people at Woodstock '69. Just take a look at the picture above and see how many people were watching this live performance. It's almost dizzying to consider that every single one of those people pictured is an individual, with their own story. But in the end, they shared one thing: a great experience.
Music
There were a lot of great artists at Woodstock '69. Both on stage and in the crowd. This person, for example, brought his guitar to bring some lovely music to a quiet area of the festival. There were many more people like him, who brightened up the festival up beyond what the organizers had originally planned it to be.
Cleaning up
In the picture above you can see one of hte water pumps that had been installed around the festival grounds. When you walk around barefoot all day, like these hippies, you need to clean your feet every now and then. These water pumps were a real godsend for the visitors of the legendary music festival.
You'll find more incredible Woodstock photos below!
Peace
One of the most iconic things about the hippie era are the peace signs people used to make with their fingers. This gesture is still recognized today, but it was especially popular back in the late sixties. On pictures of Woodstock '69, you will find a lot of people making a V with their index finger and middle finger.
Recording
Some of the performances were recorded by crew members walking around the microphones. One of the most famous live performances that you can still find online today is Jimi Hendrix' rendition of the US anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner. Other artists whose performances you can find are Santana, Jefferson Airplane and Joe Cocker, among others.
Santana
This band was relatively unknown when they played at Woodstock '69. They were known in the jam-scene, but they hadn't had any hits yet. This all changed later on. Nowadays, Santana is remembered as one of the biggest rock bands out of San Francisco. And it all started with an iconic performance at Woodstock.
Fun and games
These festivalgoers have invented their own entertainment, inbetween musical acts. The people who went to Woodstock were among the factors that made the festival so legendary. There has not been a festival since that has captured the essence of that one special event.
Woodstock
All in all, Woodstock '69 was special. Great music, great atmosphere, great people and a lot of fun. We hope that one day, there will be another festival just as special as this one. Until then, we can reminisce on the good times with these photo's. Be sure to look them through again, when you feel the need to remember just how amazing it was.