Woodstock 50 Applies For New Site, Loses Appeal For $18.5 Million From Former Festival Backer

Woodstock 50
 – Woodstock 50
The twists and turns of the Woodstock 50 saga continue with news that festival organizers have applied for a permit to host the event at Vernon Downs, a horse racking track, casino and hotel in Vernon, N.Y. The update comes a week and a half after Watkins Glen International, a racetrack in Watkins Glen, N.Y., broke the news that it had terminated the site license for the festival “pursuant to provisions of the contract.” 
Original Woodstock co-founder Michael Lang, who is organizing Woodstock 50, is apparently still hoping to host the anniversary event Aug. 16-18, despite the series of setbacks he’s encountered with the embattled fest. 
The Poughkeepsie Journal reported June 21 that Woodstock 50 organizers applied to host the festival the originally announced August weekend at Vernon Downs. The paper spoke with Town of Vernon Supervisor Randy Watson, who noted that the proposed capacity of the event has been downgraded to 45,000 to 50,000. 
The festival had initially aimed for a capacity of 150,000 with a lineup boasting major artists including Jay-Z, Santana, Miley Cyrus, John Fogerty, Dead & Company and Imagine Dragons. Production company Superfly, which has since cut ties with the festival, later said a capacity of 65,000 was more appropriate. 
While organizers continue to move forward, the festival received another hitch this week with Thursday’s ruling from a panel of state Appellate Court judges that former financial partner Dentsu Aegis doesn’t have to return $18.5 million in funds that Woodstock 50 had claimed were illegally “swept” from a festival account, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal. 
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