Woodstock 50 is officially canceled. The event was originally supposed to be held at Watkins Glen International racetrack in Watkins Glen, New York August 16 – 18. Issues with the event’s chief investor, Dentsu Aegis Network led to an announcement from the firm in April that Woodstock 50 was canceled. However, organizers tried to move forward but permitting issues put WGI off the table and subsequent attempts to host the festival at Vernon Downs and Merriweather Post Pavilion failed.

“We are saddened that a series of unforeseen setbacks has made it impossible to put on the Festival we imagined with the great line-up we had booked and the social engagement we were anticipating,” said Michael Lang, co-founder of the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival. “When we lost the Glen and then Vernon Downs we looked for a way to do some good rather than just cancel. We formed a collaboration with HeadCount to do a smaller event at the Merriweather Pavilion to raise funds for them to get out the vote and for certain NGOs involved in fighting climate change. We released all the talent so any involvement on their part would be voluntary. Due to conflicting radius issues in the DC area many acts were unable to participate and others passed for their own reasons. I would like to encourage artists and agents, who all have been fully paid, to donate 10% of their fees to HeadCount or causes of their choice in the spirit of peace. Woodstock remains committed to social change and will continue to be active in support of HeadCount’s critical mission to get out the vote before the next election. We thank the artists, fans and partners who stood by us even in the face of adversity. My thoughts turn to Bethel and its celebration of our 50th Anniversary to reinforce the values of compassion, human dignity, and the beauty of our differences embraced by Woodstock.”


Added Greg Peck, principal of Woodstock 50:

“The unfortunate dispute with our financial partner and the resulting legal proceedings set us off course at a critical juncture, throwing a wrench in our plans and forcing us to find an alternate venue to Watkins Glen. The timing meant we had few choices where our artists would be able to perform. We worked hard to find a way to produce a proper tribute—and some great artists came aboard over the last week to support Woodstock 50—but time simply ran short. We are greatly disappointed and thank all of our supporters, including the team at Merriweather Post Pavilion and Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. Woodstock’s values of peace and tolerance are more important today than ever for all of us to stand for and we look to the future for ways to honor and celebrate these ideals.”

Dead & Company, Jay-Z, The Killers, Santana, The Raconteurs, Chance The Rapper, Robert Plant And The Sensational Space Shifters and John Fogerty were among the acts on the Woodstock 50 lineup when it was revealed in March. The festival was slated to honor the 50th anniversary of the original Woodstock, which took place over the same weekend in 1969 at Yasgur’s Farm in Bethel, New York featuring the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, Jimi Hendrix and many others.