Question 1

True or false: The Woodstock crowd was so large that New York State declared a state of emergency during the festival.

Accepted Answer

True. Governor Nelson Rockefeller declared a state of emergency on August 16, 1969, due to the massive traffic jams and public health concerns from the unexpected crowd size.

Question 2

True or false: Jimi Hendrix performed at Woodstock on Monday morning to a crowd of about 30,000 people.

Accepted Answer

True. Hendrix closed the festival at 8:30 AM Monday due to delays. Most of the 400,000 attendees had already left, leaving a relatively small audience.

Question 3

True or false: The iconic Woodstock stage was built entirely by volunteers from the local community.

Accepted Answer

False. The stage was built by professional contractors hired by the organizers. Locals helped with some logistics, but the stage construction was a paid, expert job.

Question 4

True or false: Woodstock was originally planned as a for-profit event, but ended up losing money.

Accepted Answer

True. Despite its legendary status, the festival was a financial disaster. Organizers lost over $1 million due to huge crowds and free admission after fences were torn down.

Question 5

True or false: Richie Havens opened Woodstock because the scheduled opening act, Sweetwater, got stuck in traffic.

Accepted Answer

True. Sweetwater was delayed by the massive traffic jams. Havens was already there and agreed to go on first, playing an extended set that included 'Freedom.'

Question 6

True or false: The iconic Woodstock poster, featuring a white dove perched on a guitar neck, lists no performer names.

Accepted Answer

True. The 1969 poster, designed by Arnold Skolnick, only displayed the event dates and '3 Days of Peace & Music,' without any band names.

Question 7

True or false: The Woodstock site in Bethel, New York, was chosen because it was the hometown of the festival's main organizer.

Accepted Answer

False. The original site was Wallkill, NY, but permit issues forced a change. Bethel was secured later through Max Yasgur's farm. The main organizer, Michael Lang, lived in New York City, not Bethel.

Question 8

True or false: The famous 'peace and love' vibe at Woodstock was largely due to a massive police presence keeping order.

Accepted Answer

False. There was almost no police presence. The festival had minimal security and relied on the Hog Farm commune for crowd control, famously using no force.

Woodstock Trivia Questions