Who was the last performer at the 1969 Woodstock festival?

Jimi Hendrix was the last performer at the 1969 Woodstock festival. He took the stage on Monday morning, August 18, after weather-related delays had pushed the schedule far beyond its planned closing.

Hendrix performed with an expanded lineup often known as Gypsy Sun and Rainbows, rather than the original Jimi Hendrix Experience. His set began around 9 a.m. and lasted roughly two hours, by which time the audience had dwindled from the festival’s peak of hundreds of thousands to about 30,000–40,000 people.

The performance became legendary because Hendrix reworked “The Star-Spangled Banner” into a distorted, feedback-heavy guitar piece. His interpretation reflected the tension of the Vietnam War era and became one of the most recognizable recordings associated with Woodstock.

The festival’s final performer is sometimes confused with the last major act to appear during the previous night’s schedule. Sha Na Na played immediately before Hendrix, but Hendrix closed the festival itself. His Monday-morning set therefore made him both the final scheduled performer and the artist who brought the concert to an end.