Woodstock 50 Cancellation Has Twitter Sounding off with Fyre Festival Jokes

Woodstock 50, set to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the iconic music festival, has been [...]

By Caitlyn Hitt

Woodstock 50, set to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the iconic music festival, has been canceled according to Billboard. Following the release of a statement from Dentsu Aegis Network's Amplifi Live confirming the news, once excited potential attendees and skeptics alike online compared the event to Fyre Festival.

Woodstock 50 social media accounts have yet to acknowledge the festival being called off, but that hasn't stopped people from buzzing about it online. Twitter users flocked to stories from outlets reporting that the show would not go on as planned, slamming it as a scam doomed from the start, not unlike Billy McFarland's Fyre Festival.

As more information about the decision to cancel Woodstock 50 four months out is released, the comparisons don't seem like such a stretch. Amplifi Live told Vulture that like Fyre Festival, organizers behind the festival missed production milestones on more than one occasion. Such milestones include securing talent, obtaining permits, and estimating audience capacity — all vital aspects of any sound music festival.

"It's a dream for agencies to work with iconic brands and to be associated with meaningful movements," Amplifi Live said in its statement. "We have a strong history of producing experiences that bring people together around common interests and causes which is why we chose to be a part of the Woodstock 50th Anniversary Festival. But despite our tremendous investment of time, effort and commitment, we don't believe the production of the festival can be executed as an event worthy of the Woodstock Brand name while also ensuring the health and safety of the artists, partners and attendees."

According to the outlet, Watkins Glen, New York — set to host Woodstock 50 — could easily accommodate more than 100,000 people, the Woodstock 50 camping festival planned to allow significantly fewer attendees. Amplifi Live said it made its investment based on ticket-sale estimates based on the original numbers, and became frustrated when it said those numbers didn't appear possible any longer.

Additionally, Vulture reported that like Fyre Festival, the necessary infrastructure to make Woodstock 50 a reality was behind schedule. Water sources, sanitation facilities, and safe entrances and exits had not been established when Dentsu Aegis Network's Amplifi Live decided to pull the plug on Woodstock 50 on Monday.

Woodstock 50 denied that the festival was off. In a statement obtained by Vulture, festival organizers said it would "be seeking legal remedy to the comments" made by Amplifi Live.

"Woodstock 50 is currently on a call with Dentsu and Woodstock 50 vehemently denies the cancellation of the festival and will be seeking legal remedy to the comments," a rep said.

Prior to the official announcement, rumors had been swirling about potential troubles with the festival. On April 22, Variety reported that Woodstock 50 missed its planned ticket release. Potential attendees feared the festival would be canceled, but the Woodstock 50 partnership vowed that the show would go on as planned.

In March, claims emerged that Woodstock 50 was facing financial troubles. Michael Lang, a co-founder for the original Woodstock who was heavily involved in the planning of Woodstock 50, told Variety that was not the case.

"There's always been lots of rumors around Woodstock," he said in a statement. "We're preparing a once in a lifetime event."

Not long after the statement was issued, headliners the Black Keys pulled out. The band cited scheduling conflicts, but fans feared something more was at play.

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