Woodstock

film by Wadleigh [1970]

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 17, 2026

Quick Summary

The film Woodstock (1970) is a documentary by Michael Wadleigh that captures the iconic 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Held in Bethel, New York, this event became the most famous of the 1960s rock festivals. Despite organizational challenges, including venue changes and minimal security, the festival attracted an estimated 400,000 people.12

It featured legendary performances by artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family Stone, and The Who. Although the festival left its promoters nearly bankrupt, the subsequent film achieved massive success, cementing Woodstock's legacy as a pivotal moment of "Three Days of Peace and Music" in American history.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Martin Scorsese
Early life and work
…director and supervising editor on Woodstock (1970), which translated into converting the more than 100 hours of raw footage of the 1969 rock concert into a 3-hour movie that won an Academy Award for best documentary.
Read More
…director and supervising editor on Woodstock (1970), which translated into converting the more than 100 hours of raw footage of the 1969 rock concert into a 3-hour movie that won an Academy Award for best documentary.
Read More

Rock and film
…than just a concert film, Woodstock (1970) brilliantly chronicled “three days of peace, music…and love” and remains a monument to hippie culture. In stark contrast, a sense of dread permeates Gimme Shelter (1970), the Maysles brothers’ disturbing documentary of the Rolling Stones’ concert at the Altamont Speedway in California, which…
Read More
…than just a concert film, Woodstock (1970) brilliantly chronicled “three days of peace, music…and love” and remains a monument to hippie culture. In stark contrast, a sense of dread permeates Gimme Shelter (1970), the Maysles brothers’ disturbing documentary of the Rolling Stones’ concert at the Altamont Speedway in California, which…
Read More

Woodstock
…when Michael Wadleigh’s documentary film Woodstock (1970) became a smash hit. The legend of Woodstock’s “Three Days of Peace and Music,” as its advertising promised, became enshrined in American history, at least partly because few of the festivals that followed were as star-studded or enjoyable.
Read More
…when Michael Wadleigh’s documentary film Woodstock (1970) became a smash hit. The legend of Woodstock’s “Three Days of Peace and Music,” as its advertising promised, became enshrined in American history, at least partly because few of the festivals that followed were as star-studded or enjoyable.
Read More