Woodstock 50 isn’t called-off just yet. While organizers lost their original venue in Watkins Glen after failing to make a final payment, the festival reportedly applied for a new venue in Oneida County.
“Woodstock 50 is proceeding with the planning of the festival and looks forward to holding the festival at another venue with its new partners,” Woodstock 50 attorney Marc Kasowitz told The Poughkeepsie Journal late last week.
According to the Journal, the Town of Vernon Supervisor Randy Watson said Woodstock 50 organizers formally applied for a permit to hold the event at Vernon Downs, which operates a racing, hotel, and harness horse racing track. The venue change is also due to a decrease in capacity. While the festival was originally supposed to bring in six figures worth of attendees, this number dropped down to 45,000 to 50,000 people.
Watson noted that the proposed festival would be able to be organized and executed “if the right crew” is involved. However, unlike Watkins Glen, no on-site camping would be allowed at Vernon Downs, so attendees would have to be transported by shuttle buses to two off-site camping locations.
A representative for Vernon Downs, Stephen Donnelly, said the site was “one of a few organizations that are being considered” for Woodstock 50.
Earlier this year, Woodstock 50 tickets were set to go on sale, but organizers were stuck waiting for a permit from the New York State Department of Health. The on sale date was delayed, and fans grew worrisome as the festival’s financial partner Dentsu pulled out of the event. It seemed like the festival was completely called-off after organizers lost Watkins Glen as a venue, but now, with a new financial advisor and venues in the works, creator Michael Lang promises that Woodstock 50 will still go on as planned.
Lang noted that these past few months have felt like deja vu, since the original 1969 event lost its venue at Walkill and managed to change their site to Bethel with only one month to go. This year’s festival, set to take place from August 16 to 18, will feature performances from modern-day stars like Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus, The Killers, Halsey, and Imagine Dragons, as well as legendary acts like John Fogerty, Santana, and The Grateful Dead.
