The Woodstock 50th Anniversary Festival has officially been cancelled after plenty of drama surrounding its organization. Rumours about this possibility had started when the festival missed putting its tickets on sale on the promised date of April 22. Dentsu, one of the main investment arms behind this event has now announced that Woodstock 50, would not proceed owing to the company having lost faith in its preparations.
Dentsu has released an official statement, which reads, “It’s a dream for agencies to work with iconic brands and to be associated with meaningful movements. We have a strong history of producing experiences that bring people together around common interests and causes which is why we chose to be a part of the Woodstock 50th Anniversary Festival.”
The statement continues, “But despite our tremendous investment of time, effort and commitment, we don’t believe the production of the festival can be executed as an event worthy of the Woodstock Brand name while also ensuring the health and safety of the artists, partners and attendees. As a result and after careful consideration, Dentsu Aegis Network’s Amplifi Live, a partner of Woodstock 50, has decided to cancel the festival. As difficult as it is, we believe this is the most prudent decision for all parties involved.”
An all-star lineup consisting of artists like Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus, Dead & Company, the Raconteurs and more was announced earlier this year. This was to be the 50th anniversary of the iconic festival that’s believed to have kicked off a counterculture movement in the 70s. The original Woodstock was held in a dairy farm in the Catskill Mountains, near New York City in 1969, and had attracted more than 4,00,000 visitors, and featured performances from greats like Jimi Hendrix, Ravi Shankar, Santana, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin and others.
It’s certainly sad that the 50th anniversary of something so influential cannot be commemorated in a proper way. But that’s just how things have panned out, unfortunately.
