Woodstock Festival
Live performances come in many different forms. Music festivals are one of the most popular live performances, attracting thousands each year.Music festivals actually go back thousands of years and the earliest one officially on record is the Pythian Games at Delphi, as aside from the games, there were also musical performances.
Characteristically, music festivals usually run for several days and consist of a larger number of artists. Different from regular concerts, which usually stick to one particular genre of music or musician, festivals can cover a broader spectrum of music. Often, a music festival has a theme. The theme can be anything from a musical genre to nationality or locality of artists. Sometimes the theme is related to a holiday. Typically, as festivals are such a huge production, they are virtually always held outdoors.Festivals can be repeated at different intervals across the years or simply be one off productions, such as many rock festivals in the past. While some festivals are organized for profit, others are benefits for charitable causes.
One of the most well known festivals is Woodstock, held in 1969 in the town of Woodstock, New York. The “3 days of peace and music” festival pushed through bad weather, a shortage in food, and poor sanitation conditions. Over 30 acts were performed during the festival; among the artists performing were names that are still popular today like, the Grateful Dead, Santana, and Jimi Hendrix.
Summerfest, also known as “The Big Gig”, is considered one of the world’s biggest music festivals and takes place in Wisconsin, USA. The 11 day long festival usually presents around 700 bands and since the 70s, always falls around the 4th of July holiday. The music at Summerfest is an assortment of both local and national bands. There are other attractions, as well, during the Summerfest, such as, comedy acts, fireworks, family activities, and a variety of foods to try from local restaurants.
In the UK, there are countless music festivals yearly, across the country, with different themes. One of the largest in the world is the Glastonbury Festival in South West England. The main attraction is the music but Glasto offers other attractions such as circus, dance, theatre, and comedy. More than 700 acts played on more than 80 stages in 2007. Glasto was originally inspired by the hippie movement of the 70s and grew to what it is today.