Which company organized the first Woodstock festival in 1969?

Woodstock Ventures organized the first Woodstock festival in 1969.

Woodstock Ventures was the company formed by the festival’s principal promoters, including Michael Lang, Artie Kornfeld, Joel Rosenman and John P. Roberts. The group planned the event as a large music and arts gathering originally connected with the town of Woodstock, New York.

After opposition in Wallkill, New York, the organizers moved the festival to Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel. The company marketed the event as “An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music,” a phrase that captured its countercultural ambitions.

Bill Graham Presents is often confused with Woodstock Ventures because Bill Graham was a major concert promoter and helped with festival logistics. He was not the company that organized the original Woodstock event. Modern corporations such as Live Nation are unrelated to the 1969 organizing entity.