The ticket on-sale for Woodstock 50, a commemorative event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Woodstock music festival, has been pushed back.
On Friday, agents received an email regarding the change to the festival slated for August 16-18 at the Watkins Glen International speedway in upstate New York saying, “There is currently a hold on the Woodstock 50 on-sale date. We are waiting on an official press statement from Woodstock 50 regarding updated announce, ticket pricing, and overall festival information. We will get this information to you as soon as we receive it.”
While tickets were supposed to go on sale April 22nd, Billboard and Variety reported that the date has been postponed with no explicit reason publicly shared. One possible reason for the delay could be that as of Friday, the festival didn’t have a mass gathering permit from the New York State Department of Health (DOH), reports Pitchfork.
“The health department is reviewing to determine if a conditional permit may be issued that would allow for ticket sales to commence,” Tim O’Hearn, administrator of Schuyler County (including Watkins Glen) told the publication. “At this point there is no on-sale date set.” He disclosed that Watkins Glen International had, in fact, filed a mass gathering permit application on April 15th to DOH.
In March, New York State DOH spokesperson Erin Silk revealed to Watkins Glen-area newspaper Review & Express that without a permit or a conditional permit in place, tickets sales couldn’t happen.
However, on Friday, Woodstock co-founder Michael Lang downplayed speculation that the festival was on its way to being canceled. “Woodstock is a phenomenon that for 50 years has drawn attention to its principles and also the rumors that can be attached to that attention,” Lang told Billboard. A rep for the festival did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
