Part 3/6:
Chaos Amid Planning: The Logistics Challenge
Set against the unpredictable backdrop of weather and rising crowd numbers, the festival site changed just weeks before it began. After losing their initial location in Wallkill, Lang and Kornfeld secured a dairy farm owned by Max Yasgur, whose embrace of the youthful crowd added a sense of community to the event. Despite skepticism from locals, Yasgur championed the festival, believing in the values of freedom and peaceful assembly.
Organizers faced logistical nightmares: torrential rain created muddy conditions, and the grass fields turned into quagmires. The chaotic nature of preparations was exacerbated by the festival's shift to a free admission format, which encouraged even more spontaneous attendees to arrive without tickets.