Woodstock 50 refuses to die. After going through a litany issues including permitting, investors pulling out, and general public lack faith in the event, the venue it had planned also terminated the festival’s license. A statement released by the venue read, “Watkins Glen International terminated the site license for Woodstock pursuant to provisions the contract. As such, WGI will not be hosting the Woodstock 50 Festival.”
Now, Woodstock 50 looks to hold the event at Vernon Downs, a hotel and harness horse racing track in Oneida County, near Utica, New York. According to reports, it’s still scheduled to take place the weekend Aug. 16-18.
The most obvious downside moving to Vernon Downs is the diminished capacity. Town Vernon Supervisor Randy Watson said the proposed capacity the event is now 45,000-50,000 people, which is significantly smaller than the 150,000 originally planned, and smaller than the approximately 70,000 people planned for the previous site. Other issues include a lack camping options at the venue, forcing attendees to be bussed in from nearby camping sites.
The proposed dates for Woodstock 50 are less than two months away, and the event still has yet to confirm a venue or put tickets on sale.