In a surprising turn of events, Woodstock 50 has confirmed that it will go on as scheduled at a new location: Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD.
After months of uncertainty regarding permits, locations, financing and more—Woodstock 50 will reportedly take place on the scheduled dates of August 16th–18th.
In documents obtained by Bloomberg, Calvin Ball, an executive with Howard County, Maryland, wrote to Greg Peck, one of the Woodstock organizers, “When we heard that there was an opportunity to save this festival and bring a piece of American history to our community this summer, we jumped at the chance. Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia is a jewel of Howard County and one of the top music venues in the nation. It felt like such a natural fit to host a historic festival on our storied stage.”
Bloomberg also notes that the venue should be able to accommodate about 32,000 people—a much smaller total than the ~100,000 that was originally expected in the events initially-announced home of Watkins Glen, NY.
This certainly marks a drastic change from the event that was initially announced. Columbia, MD is more 250 miles away from its original location, changing the nature of the celebration, which is no longer even remotely close to the initial Woodstock (1969) site in Bethel Woods, NY. Furthermore, there is still no word on which of the many artists initially billed as part of the festival will still participate, as they will likely lose many to logistical issues (cutting down to a single stage, tour routing, etc.).
Bloomberg also notes that “Woodstock is now being pitched as a fundraiser for nonprofits devoted to voter turnout and climate change. Some of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to HeadCount, which works on voter registration, and other causes. Organizers are hoping to also raise money via a livestream of the event. They’re pitching the concert as ‘Woodstock 50 Washington,’ a nod to its new location near the nation’s capital.”
While this is most definitely not the Woodstock most were expecting, at this point, they’re defying most peoples’ expectations by actually making something happen that weekend.
Tickets for Woodstock 50 at Merriweather Post are still not yet on sale, but will be available here “soon.”
[H/T Bloomberg]
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