Bethel, August 1969

Close to a million music fans descending on Woodstock in August 1969 produced a 10-mile-long traffic jam on the New York Thruway that lasted the entire three-day festival. The atmosphere in the queue was relaxed, as you might expect, with passengers chatting to each other from the hoods of crawling cars and picnicking in the middle of the road. Though many turned back because of the traffic, many others abandoned their cars and walked the rest of the way. In the end, 500,000—ten times the anticipated number—made it through. The traffic had interesting consequences. Though the highest-profile performers were flown in by helicopter, others had to drive themselves. When the scheduled opener got stuck in traffic, organizers were desperate to find a performer who was both present and ready (i.e., not too stoned). After a Hog Farmer led the crowd in a yoga session, Richie Havens was sent on stage. He held the crowd for close to three hours. And when he ran out of songs, he improvised “Freedom,” which became an international hit. Above, music fans jam the highway leading from Bethel, New York on Aug. 16, 1969, as they leave the Woodstock Music and Art Festival.