Which air base helped air-lift performers in and out of Woodstock?

Stewart Air Force Base helped air-lift performers in and out of Woodstock.

The base, located near Newburgh in New York’s Hudson Valley, became part of the festival’s emergency and transportation network during the chaotic weekend of August 15–18, 1969. With roads clogged by traffic and hundreds of thousands of people converging on the Bethel site, ordinary ground transportation was unreliable.

Personnel from nearby Stewart Air Force Base helped maintain order and transported performers by air. Helicopters and other aircraft became especially important for moving artists, crew members, and supplies through the traffic surrounding Max Yasgur’s farm. This support helped keep the performance schedule functioning despite rain, congestion, and the festival’s unexpectedly huge crowds.

The base was not the festival venue, and it did not host the concerts. Woodstock took place at Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, roughly 60 miles from the town of Woodstock. Dover, Westover, and Griffiss were also military air bases, but Stewart is the one specifically associated with air-lifting Woodstock performers.