The Woodstock Music and Art Fair opened on 15 August 1969 in a pasture in upstate New York. Two dozen bands came to play on a wooden stage in the middle of a pasture.

The 1969 Woodstock Festival in upstate New York was an event that changed the world. It was the first time that so many people gathered together to listen to music in an outdoor setting. It was historic because of the sheer volume of people (estimates are 450,000) who attended and because of the performers who took the stage. Instead of just being a concert, it became an event. The cultural significance of Woodstock cannot be overlooked.