Ringo Starr And Santana Will Play Woodstock Festival

The ’60s will be alive and well this summer when two events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the iconic Woodstock music festival take place in New York state.

A Season of Song and Celebration will take place Aug. 15-18 at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, which is located at the site of the original festival. This event is separate from one taking place Aug. 16-18 in Watkins Glen, New York, which is organized by original Woodstock founder Michael Lang.

Now, Bethel Woods has announced that its event will be headlined by Ringo Starr and Santana. Other acts scheduled to perform so far include the Doobie Brothers and Edgar Winter Band.

Santana frontman Carlos Santana performed at the original Woodstock in 1969, and he is excited to bring the spirit of the legendary festival into current times.

“They have an amphitheater there,” the musician told Rolling Stone in January of the Bethel Woods site. “I’m going to invite whoever is still here, whether it’s Joan Baez or members from Sly Stone, and I’m going to play Santana music. … Santana’s very interested, like Miles Davis, into connecting with people from 7 years old to under 33. I don’t want to be just like a jukebox in the twilight zone, stuck in the ’60s.”

In addition to the August performances, A Season of Song and Celebration will kick off on March 30, when the Woodstock museum at Bethel Woods and festival field will reopen for the 2019 season and will feature a special exhibit that reflects on the 50th anniversary of Woodstock.

The Anniversary Week of Aug. 15 through Aug. 18 at Bethel Woods will include a series of programs and events to honor the historic music festival, including extended hours at the museum and a screening of the documentary, “Woodstock: the Director’s Cut.”