Organizers have tried to create the iconic 1969 festival Woodstock time and time again — to no avail. This time, Korea took a shot at the event, which has now been called-off.
Woodstock Music and Art Fair 2023 was originally set to be held in Pocheon, Gyeonggi from July 28 to 30 — marking the first time the festival was ever held outside of the United States. It was scheduled to feature performances from artists like Jeon In-kwon, Insooni, Kim Wan-sun, Ryeowook of Super Junior, rapper Paloalto, and rock band Boohwal, among others.
However, festival organizers SGC Entertainment pushed the event to October “to ensure a safe event operation and to work on the event’s completion,” noting that it was not cancelled, just postponed.
Now, Korea’s edition of Woodstock is officially cancelled.
“Woodstock has been canceled due to circumstances concerning the organizer,” SGC Entertainment wrote on the event’s official website. “We deeply apologize to everyone who has been waiting for Woodstock.”
This isn’t the first time the Korean edition of the event failed; previously, Woodstock was attempted to be held in 2010. It also received backlash from the start, with fans criticizing the use of the “Woodstock” name, as well as the high ticket prices.
While Woodstock is regarded as one of the most famous rock festivals of all-time, it’s been hard to replace its magic. Second and third editions were held in 1994 and 1999 — both which came with their own woes including rioting and violence.
In 2019, co-founder of the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival Michael Lang infamously attempted to bring back the festival to honor its 50th anniversary. However, the festival’s dispute with a financial partner and move to a new venue were among setbacks that caused the event to crumble, and ultimately, it was cancelled.
No matter how many times Woodstock attempts to resurface, it seems that nothing will live up to the original festival.
