The original advance ticket price for Woodstock was $18 for all three days. That price covered the planned three-day festival, which organizers initially expected to be a profitable, fenced-in event.
Tickets were sold through selected record stores in the New York City area and by mail. About 186,000 advance tickets were sold, but organizers expected only around 50,000 people. When hundreds of thousands began arriving, the unfinished fences and ticket booths could not contain the crowd.
As a result, Woodstock effectively became a free concert for many attendees. The $18 figure refers to advance tickets; tickets purchased at the gate cost $24. This distinction explains why both prices sometimes appear in accounts of the festival, but $18 is the standard answer when a quiz asks for the original ticket price.
The festival ultimately attracted an estimated 400,000 to 500,000 people and ran from August 15 through August 18, 1969.