Bethel Woods CEO Eric Frances Announces Catbird Music Festival Featuring Lumineers, Trey Anastasio Band, and Tyler Childers

Eric Frances, CEO of Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, has announced that a new summer event, a multi-day festival in August, called Catbird Music Festival, will take place on the original Woodstock ’69 field on August 19 and 20.

Catbird Music Festival

Frances said that 2022 was the best year in the history of Bethel Woods in terms of attendance and the number of concerts. The planned festival will take place on the original Woodstock ’69 field on the former farm of Max Yasgur in Bethel, located in Sullivan County. The Catbird Music Festival will feature favorite Americana and folk indie music performers including headliners The Lumineers, Tyler Childers, The War on Drugs, and Trey Anastasio Band, alongside Band of Horses, Dispatch, Trampled By Turtles, Charley Crockett, Margo Price, Amos Lee, and many more.

The original festival, labeled “An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music,” attracted an audience of more than 400,000 attendees, and is considered a pivotal moment in popular music history. The festival had 32 acts over the three days, including the Grateful Dead, The Who, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Jimi Hendrix, and more.

Woodstock 94 took place from August 12-14 and can be credited for the growth of many young millennial bands, including Green Day. 500,000 young adults flocked to Winston Farm in Saugerties to take place in this historic remake. Although not comparable to the first one, it was still a rocking time for all those in attendance. A worse rendition of the festival, Woodstock 99, took place at Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome. The festival ended in fires and mild rioting as people were sick and tired of the festival’s prices and poor infrastructure.

eric frances catbird music festival bethel woods
Woodstock 94

The last attempt at recreating the iconic festival was Woodstock 50, a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the original festival. There was supposed to be a huge three-day event at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, but due to a series of permit and production issues, venue relocations, and artist cancellations, it was canceled less than a month before the scheduled date. The event’s lineup included artists such as Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus, The Killers, Imagine Dragons, and more. Woodstock took one of the festival’s investors, Dentsu, to court and demanded that they be refunded for the company’s fraudulent actions, quietly settling it after a few years.

The Catbird Music Festival will be held on the original Woodstock ’69 field from August 19-20. Presales begin Wednesday, March 8 at 10 a.m. In addition, for a $10 fee, festivalgoers can explore The Museum at Bethel Woods, a collection of authentic artifacts, interactive media, and even a psychedelic bus dedicated to the 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair. Ticket options include 1-Day and 2-Day General Admission, GA+, VIP, and Platinum, as well as Weekend Camping, Weekend Premier Camping, Weekend Glamping, Weekend RV (with/without hook-up) passes, and 1-Day and 2-Day Premium Parking. For more information and to buy tickets, visit here.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 19

The Lumineers
The War on Drugs
Band of Horses
Trampled by Turtles
Margo Price
James Bay
Johnnyswim
Adia Victoria
49 Winchester
Briscoe
John R. Miller

SUNDAY, AUGUST 20

Tyler Childers
Trey Anastasio Band
Dispatch
Charley Crockett
Amos Lee
Morgan Wade
Celisse
Allison Russell
The Soul Rebels
Eggy
Madeline Edwards

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