"If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliche that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that's his problem. Love and peace are eternal."
-John Lennon
THE HISTORY OF MUSIC FESTIVALS
The first thing you need to know is that Woodstock's "Three Days of Peace and Music" has shaped each and every music festival that exists today.
Before Woodstock, however, the first music festivals were actually in Ancient Egypt around 4500 B.C., the Pre-Dynastic Period. Although these ancient musical festivals remain nameless, historians report that these festivals consisted of religious ceremonies and political fests which featured music and dancing.The first known music festival to be held in Ancient Greece was during the 6th Century B.C. during The Pythian Games. The games were usually held two years before, and after the Olympic Games. Unlike the mainly sports based Olympics, the Pythian Games also consisted competitions for music and also poetry. Smaller versions of the Pythian Games were celebrated in many other cities of the Levant and Greece.
The first known Music Festival known in the 1800's was the Irish Music Festival back in 1897 in Dublin, Ireland.
The first known music festival of the Modern Era was The Berkshire Festival, also known as Tanglewood. The music venue is also an estate, situated in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and has been home to the annual festival since 1937.
The Woodstock Festival, was held for the very first time on a 600 acre dairy farm in the town of Bethel, New York. The festival ran for three days from August 15th to 18th in the Summer of 1969.
During a sometimes rain-sodden weekend, thirty-two performing artists played in front of an estimated 500,000 concert attendees. Many regard the Woodstock Festival as the greatest and most pivotal moment in popular music history.
Rolling Stone Magazine has listed Woodstock as part of the "50 Moments That Changed The History Of Rock 'n' Roll".
Major artists that featured on the three day billing included The Who, Joan Baez, Santana, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jefferson Aeroplane, The Band, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Joe Cocker.
Artists such as The Doors, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, The Byrds and Joni Mitchell were invited to play but they declined for various reasons.
The first known Music Festival known in the 1800's was the Irish Music Festival back in 1897 in Dublin, Ireland.
The first known music festival of the Modern Era was The Berkshire Festival, also known as Tanglewood. The music venue is also an estate, situated in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and has been home to the annual festival since 1937.
The Woodstock Festival, was held for the very first time on a 600 acre dairy farm in the town of Bethel, New York. The festival ran for three days from August 15th to 18th in the Summer of 1969.
During a sometimes rain-sodden weekend, thirty-two performing artists played in front of an estimated 500,000 concert attendees. Many regard the Woodstock Festival as the greatest and most pivotal moment in popular music history.
Rolling Stone Magazine has listed Woodstock as part of the "50 Moments That Changed The History Of Rock 'n' Roll".
Major artists that featured on the three day billing included The Who, Joan Baez, Santana, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jefferson Aeroplane, The Band, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Joe Cocker.
Artists such as The Doors, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, The Byrds and Joni Mitchell were invited to play but they declined for various reasons.