Three days of peace and music were actually almost a decade in the making. This summer, Marist College will hold a conference, “1969: When Woodstock Changed the World,” examining the events that led to the iconic music festival. Marist’s conference, which will be held June 13-14, 2019, is the definitive—and perhaps only—academic conference on this key anniversary. All events are open to the public (registration required; see below for details).

The conference will feature a series of events that explore the social history of the tumultuous decade leading up to the Woodstock Festival.

Key events will include:

• A by-registration only field trip to Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival, including a visit to The Museum.
• Panel discussions on: music in the ‘60s; social movements, including civil rights and black power, communal living, feminism, and the Vietnam War and peace movements.  
• Keynote lectures by CNN Presidential Historian Dr. Douglas Brinkley of Rice University, author of the forthcoming book, American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race, and ‘60s historian Dr. David Farber, University of Kansas.
• A Woodstock festival panel discussion moderated by Wade Lawrence, Museum Director at Bethel Woods, featuring music and a brief film screening.

All events are open to the public, but pre-registration is required. A full schedule of events and registration information can be found here.