On what date did the 1969 Woodstock festival actually end?

The 1969 Woodstock festival actually ended on August 18, 1969. Although it was promoted as “three days of peace and music” and scheduled for August 15–17, delays pushed the final performance into Monday morning.

Rainstorms, equipment problems, and the festival’s enormous crowds disrupted the timetable. By the final day, many attendees had already left, but music continued into the morning. Jimi Hendrix and his expanded backing group took the stage around 9 a.m. on August 18.

Hendrix’s set included his famous electric-guitar interpretation of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which became one of the festival’s defining moments. His performance closed the concert, making August 18 the actual end date rather than August 17, the scheduled closing date.

A common mix-up comes from the festival’s branding and many retrospective summaries, which call Woodstock a three-day event. In practice, the music ran across four calendar dates, from Friday afternoon through Monday morning.