Officials at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, built on the location of the Woodstock festival, warned drifters without tickets for their 50th-anniversary weekend celebrations to stay away.

With predictions that 100,000 people could be in attendance during Aug. 16-18, a travel-pass system would be in operation in the area from Aug. 15, said chief executive Darlene Fedun, in bids to avoid the chaos of 1969.

The Season of Song & Celebration concert series – separate from the “official” Woodstock 50 that was canceled after enduring production troubles earlier this month – features Santana, John Fogerty, Ringo Starr and others. People who have tickets for the show will be granted a travel pass. Others will be allowed to visit the festival site, but only via a shuttle bus service, with stays limited to 30 minutes.

“We’re trying to encourage people that are not interested in the concert side of things, and just want to come and sort of breathe the are and feel the vibes … to come on other weekends,” Fedun commented in a statement. Full details of travel restrictions and pass system can be found on the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts website.

In April, Bethel town supervisor Daniel Sturm, vowed that construction work wouldn't make congestion worse over the Woodstock weekend, and argued that locals welcomed the influx of visitors and its associated boost to the economy.

“Every weekend, they practically have some kind of event, as well as what the town has planned," he said. "We have a parade for the Woodstock anniversary, we have Woodstock-themed events."

“This time," he said this week, "we’re going to get it right.”

 

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