County leader worries as time runs short
Oneida Executive Anthony Picente says hosting the music festival on short notice will be no easy task.
VERNON, N.Y. >> A county leader in central New York state said Tuesday that hosting the Woodstock 50 music festival on short notice will be no easy task.
Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente released a statement noting the challenge of preparing for a large-scale event that’s to be held just over a month from now.
“Our first and foremost concern is for the safety and welfare of Oneida County residents,” Picente said. “With such a short timeframe, the logistical hurdles to ensure the public health and safety of the concertgoers and the surrounding community could pose a significant challenge.” Woodstock 50, marking the 50th anniversary of the original Woodstock festival in Sullivan County, is scheduled for Aug. 16-18 and was to be held at the Watkins Glen International speedway in New York’s Finger Lakes region. But speedway officials announced on June 10 that they would not host the event — reportedly because of missed payments — leaving the organizers precious little time to find a new home.
They ultimately settled on Vernon Downs, a harness track and casino in Vernon, N.Y., about 30 miles west of Utica, and are seeking a mass-gathering permit and other approvals necessary to hold the event there.
The loss of Watkins Glen as a venue came after months of trouble for the festival: ticket sales being delayed indefinitely, the chief financial backer and production company backing out, and a court battle with the backer.
And now, with just less than 45 days to go, plans still are not finalized and tickets still have not gone on sale.
There also has been no word on how many tickets will be made available. The planned maximum at Watkins Glen was 150,000, but Vernon Downs has said its peak capacity is 65,000.
The announced lineup for
Woodstock 50 boasts more than 80 acts, including JayZ, Dead & Company, the Killers, John Fogerty, Miley Cyrus, Santana, Robert Plant, Imagine Dragons,
Chance the Rapper and Janelle Monáe.
Previous Woodstock anniversary festivals were held in 1994 in Saugerties and 1999 in Rome, N.Y.
The 1999 show, just 20 miles north of Vernon and in the same county, was marred by fires, rioting, looting and reports of sexual assaults.