The Woodstock phenomenon: From Heidelberg to Harties

It's time for Woodstock again this weekend, and in true MIO style, we thought we'd find out more about the festival's history and give you some insight into this year's event.

Woodstock was created six years ago under the instruction of Simon Fourie, the owner of Bike SA, when he saw the need to create a youth festival as his own children at the time were too young to attend club gigs. He commissioned Authentic Ideas (who you can read more about in our recent feature here!) to create a festival that would appeal to South African youth across the board, and encouraged the introduction of youth lifestyle and culture when it was suggested.    

So why use the name Woodstock ? According to Nancy Hillary from Authentic Ideas, Mr Fourie's dream was to have an SA Woodstock, and he bought rights to the name for South Africa and Australia . But it wasn't supposed to be that way for long…

“We agreed that after the first year, the `Woodstock` in the name would be dropped, and we'd call successive events “90's pop culture experience”, said Nancy, “But once we'd built the brand, Simon decided to stick with it.”

Since its humble beginnings in Heidelberg , the event has grown from a few thousand patrons to over eighteen thousand attendees in 2003, setting a benchmark for youth music festivals in South Africa .    

This year, Woodstock 6 sees another venue change as the event moves to Hartbeespoort for the first year. Situated along the Crocodile River , the venue boasts two kilometres of river frontage, ideal for bathing and water sports.

The new venue does not include chalets or sleeping facilities; however, Hartebeespoort as an area has hundreds of scattered B&Bs and guest houses.

When asked as to whether relying on surrounding facilities for accommodation was a good idea, Nancy believes this an advantage rather than a negative. Those who want to camp – and there will be thousands! – can do so, but those who perhaps prefer a little luxury and a hot shower are not denied the opportunity to experience Woodstock . It's also close enough to Jozi to make a daily commute possible for the ultra-committed.

Traditionally, Woodstock was only a two-day event, but with the increase in numbers, festival directors decided to add a bonus day to allow people into the venue earlier and make their bases as soon as possible.  The music entertainment, however, still runs over two nights, Friday and Saturday. 

So is it worth R235?

If one compares what you'll pay to see an international act for a few hours and the value provided by Woodstock, its serious bang for buck. You get 72 hours of music with 75 SA bands on 3 stages. Woodstock 6 will also feature some of SA's top core-sport athletes, including Wake boarders and Jet Skiers.

The focus of Stage 1 will be artistes who have achieved massive mainstream success in South Africa , predominantly the top rock bands in the country such as Prime Circle, Tweak, Wonderboom, Cutting Jade, Mean Mr Mustard, and Arno Carstens, all of whom are dominating the airwaves.    

Stage 2 is situated in the blunt Arena and will focus on the top of the underground scene and the harder styles of music that are not offered mainstream avenues of promotion.     

Stage 3 is also situated in the blunt Arena and will feature the fringe bands and the metal bands, and will also include up and coming stars. This means that at certain times there will be a heavy metal "moment" with several heavy metal bands in a row, and there will be a "developing" time with several tipped-to-top artistes.    

For those of you going, enjoy the show. Tickets are still available from Music @ R235, or R260 from Computicket. For all the do's and don'ts and how to get the best out of your time in Harties, check out www.woodstock.co.za

Maybe one day one of you will be a completely loaded millionaire and commission me to create a dreamy festival to entertain your kids. I'll need some help though and a payment up-front … oh, and I'd like to only work a half-day if possible – any takers?

Pictures courtesy of the Woodstock website and used with permission. Photographer: Grant Dixon.

 

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