This weekend marks exactly 56 years since the original Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, NY — and in a rare coincidence, the dates line up precisely with the original 1969 festival.
The festival began on Friday, August 15, and ran through Sunday, August 17, 1969. This year, Friday, August 15, and Saturday, August 16, once again fall on the same days of the week.
Radio Catskill, the closest radio station to the original Woodstock site, is marking the occasion with a week of special local news coverage of the anniversary week of events at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts — located on the historic festival grounds.
Festivities kick off Tuesday afternoon with special guest Elliott Landy, one of the official photographers of the original Woodstock festival. Landy is best known for his portraits of artists including Bob Dylan, The Band, Van Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix, and for capturing many of the most iconic images of Woodstock in 1969.
Speaking about the original site and its legacy, Landy said:
“I don’t have a nostalgia about the place itself, but what they’ve done is they’ve created a beautiful museum there and it’s quite a good museum. It’s very deep space and the people there are really dedicated to the essence of what Woodstock was about, which is creating a peaceful world.”Landy reflected on the ideals of the 1960s and their continued relevance:
“In the 60s, we had hopes of throwing out all the bad ways of the past and creating a new system of living together in society… The latter part of the 60s and the early 70s was when we had a chance to pay attention. And now we’re suffering for not paying attention. It’s relevant today… the Woodstock Festival was… a cosmic nudge to show that despite difficult times… people can live lovingly and peacefully with each other and share and care and help each other.”
Landy first arrived at Woodstock through his work documenting the anti–Vietnam War movement for the underground press. His music photography career took off after shooting artists like Janis Joplin and The Band. One day, he ran into Woodstock organizer Michael Lang, who later invited him to photograph the festival.
Landy said he hopes his Bethel Woods appearances convey a message of optimism:
“Hope. Hope. Hope — and also how to be what you want to be. If you want a peaceful life, then you have to be peaceful inside and then a peaceful life comes to you.”
In addition to photo talks, Landy will present “Sharing Stillness” energy work and host a dinner event. On Wednesday, he will present Spirit of a Generation, a slideshow in the Event Gallery.
Looking back at his famous images, Landy noted that while the cultural spotlight on 1960s ideals may have dimmed, the values themselves remain vital:
“The ideals of the 60s didn’t fade away… we have to go back to those ideals and pay attention to them. Now with global warming, which is a direct result of selfishness, we see that we’re going under. I don’t usually like to use imperatives, but yeah, this is an imperative.”
More information about Elliott Landy’s work can be found at elliottlandy.com.
Bethel Woods’ full Woodstock Anniversary Week schedule is available on their website.
Image: Elliot Landy’s coverage of the 1969 Woodstock Festival, for which he was an official photographer have become synonymous the famed 1969 Music Festival and the Utopian spirit of the Woodstock Generation. (Credit: ElliotLandy.com)