Woodstock News

A Woodstock weekend

Associated Press

July 18, 1999

Getting there: Rome, N.Y., is 450 miles from Detroit by highway (through Canada). If you're just now planning your trip, driving might be your best option; round-trip airfare to nearby Syracuse is now about $814.

Getting in: Organizers say they've sold about 160,000 tickets and expect a sellout (250,000) sometime Friday. Tickets will be sold at the concert site, and potential gate crashers will be thwarted by massive security fences around Griffiss. Look for your neighbors: As with Woodstock '94, Detroit is among the festival's top five originating markets.

Parking: There's room for about 70,000 cars at Griffiss; others will be directed to remote parking sites and shuttled to the site by bus. Organizers have worked with police and state transportation officials to avoid the sort of nightmarish traffic congestion seen in 1969 and 1994.

What to do: At least 48 acts will perform on two stages, starting at noon Friday and running through Sunday evening. Fans can also check out an experimental film festival, nightly raves and an extreme sports facility, where underwater limbo, bike races and other events will be staged.

Camping: Unless you booked a hotel room weeks ago in Syracuse or Albany, you'll probably be joining the rest of the Woodstock entourage at the concert site. There are 210 acres of wooded area available for camping, with toilets, drinking water and showers. Bring a tent.

Beer: For the first time, Woodstock will sell it; look for the five-acre Beer Gardens.

Watching from home: All the weekend's action will be available via pay-per-view ($29.95 for one day, $59.95 for three days). Check with your cable or satellite provider.

MTV kicks off "All Access Weekend: Woodstock '99" at 3 p.m. Friday, with live and taped coverage through the weekend.

Web surfers can check in with www.woodstock.com for highlights and behind-the-scenes footage, or pick up audio broadcasts at www.netradio.com.

Come back to the Free Press starting Friday for daily reports, reviews and photos from the festival, including a wrap-up of the weekend on July 26.

Copyright © 1999 The Beacon Journal Publishing Company Primary content and graphics © 1999 Knight Ridder New Media, Inc. Technology and portions of the content and graphics © 1999 Zip2 Corp. Information deemed reliable but is not guaranteed. Just Go is a registered trademark of Knight-Ridder New Media Inc.