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Rare Woodstock Pictures Reveal What Really Happened in The Legendary 60’s

The Origin of the Tie-and-Die Trend

Tie and dye is the current trend and can be seen donned by numerous youngsters these days. It seems like the free-spirited people in the 60s selling their wares discovered this trend. Adding color to the U.S. culture was also an initiative taken by the event. No official merchandise was sold at the festival, and people had to do the local art.

The fabrics on display can be used in multiple ways, as a scarf or as headgear. People in the 60s looked quite experimental with their clothing choices. These colored clothes truly represent the vibe of the event.

…Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair

The flower crown remains a classic and serves as the best companion to attend a festival event today. A crown made up of freshly plucked flowers adds up to the charm and completes the overall look. The love for nature and accessories extracted from it can naturally beautify her, and that is precisely what’s on display.

Tiaras are usually worn by queens and women who win beauty pageants. Hence, the girl seen in the image shall not wait to participate in a pageant and be the queen of her world at this moment.  However, the flower species could not be figured out.

Music that Left Them All Smiling

Woodstock was primarily a musical event and had attracted an audience of 400,000. Thirty-two acts were performed even after sporadic rain. Pictured here are members of the band Jefferson Airplane, with singer Grace Slick in the center dressed in white.

It seems like their music had an essence of comedy and sarcasm that left the viewers in splits. The smiles on each of their faces are evident that the event was a success story in delivering what it wanted “peace and music” .Long hair also seems to be an everyday hairstyle in the 60s. Almost everyone seems to embrace those dreads.

Draped in All Leather

What took place 52 years ago still seems classic as it had registered itself in history. The festival site is now home to the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, which hosts concerts all year round.

The girl in the picture is seen wearing a leather top with a headband that also seems to be leather. Her shoulder band appears to be carved out of wood. Leather is the current fetish for all the fashion influencers, not only for bags but also for apparel. But the image clearly shows that it is a vintage concept that is being redone.

Boarding the Bus

Even after the massive substance consumption openly, there were no arrests made. The festival glorified all the teenage and youngsters-related stigmas in the most fantastic way possible. The people in the image have climbed up the roof of the bus to witness the fair.

The occupants consist of couples and solos who were sitting and enjoying the show unfolding in front of them. Also, the flowers and the butterflies painted on the roof appear to be custom-made to match the event’s vibe. It seems like all the men decided unanimously to let go of their top wears as most of these can be seen bare-chested.

Need Some Space

The event managers did not expect the event to be so massive. It was believed that they would be able to manage in the given space. However, the event became a magnum opus, and people occupied wherever and whatever they found to sit. Also, with a massive crowd like this comes a shortage of food, water, and medical supplies. In addition, there were scarce bathrooms.

While the attendees managed to keep up with the ambiance, the aftermath had images of littered streets and roads. There was a nuisance created on the main roads, and the traffic was blocked. Well, whatever it may be, the event will always be remembered as a success story.

Keeping it Candid

After the event caught pace and limelight, its coverage became important. The event’s significance was reinforced in a 1970 American documentary titled Woodstock, receiving the Academy Award for best documentary feature. The film was also screened at the Cannes Film Festival.

The subject in the picture made it to the documentary, proving that she is being directed by someone to follow a set of instructions to get her involved in the event recorded. The documentary is one of the only recorded pieces of evidence of this massive fair. Amongst the 32 performers at the event, only a handful was featured in the documentary.

The Origin of the Tie-and-Die Trend

Tie and dye is the current trend and can be seen donned by numerous youngsters these days. It seems like the free-spirited people in the 60s selling their wares discovered this trend. Adding color to the U.S. culture was also an initiative taken by the event. No official merchandise was sold at the festival, and people had to do the local art.

The fabrics on display can be used in multiple ways, as a scarf or as headgear. People in the 60s looked quite experimental with their clothing choices. These colored clothes truly represent the vibe of the event.

The Event was Jam-Packed

The image is an accurate depiction of the kind of event that it was. The event made all the people happy and made them forget the hardships that the time had on the platter. In short, the party never stopped at Woodstock, with music going on all day and night for the entirety of the festival.

Strangers bumping into each other and relishing the event together was a common visual there. There were also people from the elder age groups who manifested their presence at the event. The flock of crowds was rushing towards the venue to hear the rock and roll.

Non-Entertained Camping

The event venue became a temporary refuge for the attendees as they chose to pitch their tent on the venue itself rather than going back. This was never the plan and was not something that the organizers predicted. Bethel created a massive traffic jam. Routes were being diverted. Announcements were made on radio and televisions that helped to stop more people from reaching the venue.

The field where the Woodstock fair happened has initially been a dairy farm. The contract with the festival organizers stated that he would be paid $10,000 to use the land. Unfortunately, the damages to the property cost him more than $50,000.

Happy Ending!

It can be derived from the picture that space was a significant issue at the Woodstock Fair. People adjusted themselves wherever they could. Michael Lang, Artie Kornfeld and John. P. Roberts, the three main organizers, initially estimated their total expenses to be around $750,000. But, by the end of the festival, they ended up spending $2.5 million.

In 2017, the event site became listed on the National Register Of Historic Places. The event had crowds flowing from all walks of life to glimpse their favorite performers. Amongst the chaos, the guests managed to have fun with the August heat and intermittent showers.

Bird’s Eye View of the Crowd

Numerous photographers and filmmakers appeared at the venue once the event was announced to be a blockbuster. One such photographer from the LIFE magazine by the name of John Dominis stated that he had a great time at the event. Although the event had people younger than him, he still felt like their peer. The image may be in grayscale, but it indeed was a colorful event.

The image may appear a bit chaotic, but the reality was that the event was remarkably peaceful. Although substances were being consumed, very few fatalities were recorded which were quickly resolved.

Managed to Feed 400,000 People

Indeed, the task of feeding more than 400,000 people sounds like a nightmare when the arrangements were made only to serve a crowd of 200,000. The queues for food were long, and the supply was less. People went on to burn two of the concession stands as they were angry and starving.

The situation was later combated with people pouring in food donations that got airlifted to the venue. The food included 10,000 sandwiches, water, fruits, and tetra-packed goods. There were volunteers from the crowd itself who served the food to keep the event flow intact. Reportedly, no one starved during the event.

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