Rare, Amazing Photos From Woodstock That You’ve Never Seen

Every year, there are dozens of music festivals occurring all over the world. However, it could be argued that no music festival has ever been able to capture the same atmosphere that was created at Woodstock. Woodstock was a music festival that took place in 1969 on a dairy farm in New York. This event, attended by 400,000 people, is seen as an extremely pivotal movement in music history and the “counter-culture” generation. There have been a ton of famous and legendary photos from this event, but here are a few that you likely have never seen before. You simply won’t believe number 16.

Not a Care In The World

One of the main themes around Woodstock was to have a good time and not let any bad vibes creep about. The individuals in this photo embody that perfectly. These people don’t have a care in the world, and are simply feeling the music, while likely under the influence of some drugs as well.

Hendrix Closes The Show

Jimi Hendrix was among the biggest stars in the world at the time. He was the headliner, but since the show went a day over, he performed on Monday after the festival ended. As a result, a lot of people had left, but he still performed in front of the 30,000 people who stayed for the full four days.

Good Luck Getting In

This photo is simply unbelievable. This gives you a little visual sample of just how many people were there. In fact, there was so many people that even cars couldn’t get too close, so many people just parked on the highway and then walked to the festival. Performers often had to be brought in on helicopters because there were so many people there. Check out the next entry which shows the dark side of Woodstock’s high attendance.

No Path For Emergency

While a busy Woodstock was good for business and a great atmosphere, there were some negatives. This young man was thrown from a vehicle trunk on the way to Woodstock and sustained some head injuries. Unfortunately, ambulances couldn’t reach him because of how much traffic was present on the roads.

Not Shy In The Least

This photo is evidence that people at Woodstock simply don’t have any shame. People were at this event to have a good time, and not judge anybody else. And with people being there for nearly a week, cleaning up was a must. This photo shows people taking a dip in the river and cleaning off. Check out the 10th entry for another interesting look at a person baring it all.

Remarkably Peaceful

Despite the fact that there were over 400,000 people present at the event, the festival was remarkably peaceful. In fact, there were no reports of violence and everyone just seemed to get along great. However, just because there were no fights, doesn’t mean people didn’t get a little rowdy, as you can see here.

The Man Who Made It All Possible

While most of the famous photos from Woodstock focus on the large crowd or performers, this is an important one to show. The two people pictured here are Max and Miriam Yasgur and without them, Woodstock would never have happened. This is because they are the owners of the land where the festival took place.

Drug Use Was Common

As you could imagine by some of the pictures so far and the nature of the festival, recreational drug use was extremely common and widespread at Woodstock. This little hut made the perfect spot to enjoy some, and even came complete with a little sign that read “Have a marijuana.” Check out the 11th entry for another look at the drug use at Woodstock.

Cook It Up

With so many more people attending the event than organizers expected, food shortage quickly became a bit of an issue. However, in true Woodstock spirit, different attendees began to work together to solve the problem. Many of the concertgoers banded together to make sure everyone had enough food to survive.

Smoke Camps

While drug use was common, it was not only to get high. Smoking hash and marijuana was also a great way to meet new people and share their own unique stories. There were little huts called “smoke camps” in which tons of people would meet, smoke, and enjoy each others company.

Naked Hitchhiker

While a lot of the people attending were from the area where the festival was put on, others had to travel far and wide to get there. While some could drive, others had to resort to hitchhiking. This lady decided to wear her birthday suit out as she tried to get a ride to NYC.

Attendees of All Ages

While most of us may have an idea of what the typical Woodstock attendee looked like, there were a handful that might surprise you. There were concertgoers of all ages, from young children to senior citizens and everyone in between. This cute photo shows a young lady having a great time, enjoying the music.

Inclement Weather

Unfortunately for concertgoers, the weather for the weekend festival wasn’t great. In fact, it rained for a majority of the time, which made for quite messy grounds. However, people didn’t let that stop them as hundreds of thousands of guests still stood out in the rain to watch the concerts.

Music Everywhere

While most people came to see the music being played on stage, there was actually music all throughout the festival grounds. People came together all over the place to play music with one another. This photo shows a man with some great hair rocking out on the drums, with people behind him watching.

Merchandise

Despite the fact that over 400,000 people were there, organizers didn’t think to offer official merchandise. However, concertgoers took this into their own hands. Many of them put up stands and sold shirts and other items. Imagine how amazing it would be to get your hands on an original shirt from one of these booths.

Free Event

While today’s weekend festivals often cost hundreds of dollars, that wasn’t the case back in the day. The concert was supposed to initially cost $24 but as too many people began to rush the doors and sneak in, that it became a completely free event after the first day of the festival.

The Swami Opened The Show

The concert wasn’t opened by a musical act, but a speech. The speech was given by none other than “the” Swami. Swami Satchidananda is a world famous Indian religious teacher and spiritual master. He told the attendees that the future of the world was in their hands and wished luck on the future of the festival.

Few Deaths

Despite the massive amount of people at Woodstock and the massive amount of drugs being consumed by most of them, there were only two deaths. One person passed away due to an alleged heroin overdose, and someone else was tragically run over by a tractor when they were sleeping in a field.

Way Out Wasn’t Easy Either

Just as entry to the concert was a problem due to traffic, so was leaving. It likely took people hours upon hours of waiting before they were able to get moving. There is no doubt that people were extremely tired after a weekend of very little sleep, lots of drugs, and tons of music.

Sleep Where You Could

The festival was expected to have no more than 50,000 people there, but eight times that showed up. As a result, there were insufficient places for most people to sleep. That means people had to sleep wherever they could. Thousands simply slept out in the open in fields, and this man was lucky enough to find a bike to sleep on.