Bethel hosted the 1969 Woodstock music festival in New York State.
The festival took place from 15 to 18 August 1969 on dairy farmer Max Yasgur’s farm in the town of Bethel. It was officially called the Woodstock Music and Art Fair and was promoted as “An Aquarian Exposition.” Organisers originally expected a much smaller crowd, but hundreds of thousands of people attended.
The event was associated with the counterculture of the 1960s and featured performers including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, Joan Baez, and Santana. Hendrix’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the final morning became one of the festival’s most remembered moments.
Although the event is called Woodstock, it was not held in the town of Woodstock. The organisers had links to Woodstock’s artistic community and initially planned a venue near the town, but logistical and local opposition issues led them to Bethel. The original site is now part of Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.