If you were one of the many people who attended the original Woodstock Festival, it’s time to tell your story. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the historic site of the 1969 festival, is expanding its Oral Histories Project across the U.S. to document the memories of fans who attended the historic musical event.
Curators from The Museum at Bethel Woods are set to hit such cities as Columbus, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City to allow those who attended the concert to record their stories.
“Realizing the average age of Woodstock attendees is 75 years old, now is the time to find the lost stories of the festival and save their place in history,” said Neal V. Hitch, senior curator of The Museum at Bethel Woods. “In order for the impact of Woodstock to be felt 100 years from now, collecting oral histories of this iconic festival is critical.”
He adds, “It is our goal to find as many attendees as possible and document their firsthand experiences, which will also inspire the next generation of young artists, musicians, and music lovers.”
The Oral Histories Project began in October 2020; as of now over 18,00 stories have been documented. The museum is hoping to get about 4,500 more, which will represent only about 1% of concert attendees.
The pop-ups kick off April 4 in Columbus, followed by San Diego April 25-26, Los Angeles April 27-30 and San Francisco May 8-12, with New York City scheduled for sometime in August. More information can be found at Bethelwoodscenter.org.
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