Woodstock 50 Festival Canceled — Maybe

WATKINS GLEN, NY — Is it canceled or not? The money behind Woodstock 50, Dentsu Aegis Network's Amplifi Live, released a statement Monday that the festival celebrating the 50th anniversary of the original Woodstock was not going to happen.

The statement said that, after careful consideration, the people behind the agency said they didn't believe the three-day event could be executed as something worthy of the Woodstock brand, billboard.com said.

It also said the health and safety of the artists, partners and audience could not be guaranteed.

But promoter Michael Lang, who is best known as the co-creator of the original Woodstock, said Dentsu's announcement was a complete surprise, but he's not giving up on the festival yet, tmz.com reported.

The festival was to have taken place in Watkins Glen, which is in Schuyler County. The county administrator, Tim O'Hearn, told the Poughkeepsie Journal that he had received email notification of the cancellation.

Tickets were expected to go on sale on April 22, but an announcement was made that organizers had delayed selling tickets with no new date was announced.

The festival's website still has a countdown clock for when the festival returns and still says, "Tickets on sale soon."

Among the artists who were announced to perform at Woodstock 50 were Miley Cyrus, Santana, The Lumineers, John Sebastian, Chance the Rapper, David Crosby and Friends, Country Joe McDonald, Janelle Monae, Hot Tuna and Jay-Z.

The original Woodstock took place in 1969 on a farm in Bethel, Sullivan County. An estimated 500,000 people attended the event over the three days.

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