Bethel Woods Center for the Arts facts for kids
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Bethel Woods
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View of the pavilion from the lawn prior to a concert
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| Address | 200 Hurd Road |
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| Location | Bethel, New York |
| Type | Outdoor amphitheatre |
| Seating type | Reserved, lawn |
| Capacity | 15,000 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 2004 |
| Opened | July 4, 2006 |
| Construction cost | $150 million |
The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is a special place in Bethel, New York. It's an outdoor concert hall, an arts center, and a museum. This center is built on the very spot where the famous 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair happened!
Bethel Woods is about 90 miles (145 km) from New York City. The whole area covers 800 acres (3.2 km²). It has a huge outdoor concert area that can hold 15,000 people. There's also a smaller outdoor stage and a cozy indoor hall. The Museum at Bethel Woods is also here. You can enjoy concerts from June to September, featuring all kinds of music.
Contents
The Story of Bethel Woods
How Bethel Woods Began
In 1996, a man named Alan Gerry bought the land where the 1969 Woodstock festival took place. He wanted to help the economy of Sullivan County. This area had faced tough times after its tourism industry slowed down. Alan Gerry created a group called the Gerry Foundation to help.
The Foundation bought the original 37-acre (0.15 km²) Woodstock festival field. They also bought hundreds of acres around it. Their big plan was to build an arts center there.
Early Events and Building the Center
In 1998, the Foundation held a three-day music event called "Day in the Garden." In 1999, they celebrated the 30th anniversary of the first Woodstock festival.
Plans for the arts center started in 2002. Construction began two years later. The project cost $150 million. The outdoor concert hall opened on July 4, 2006. The New York Philharmonic orchestra played the first show.
On August 13, 2006, the band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young performed. They had played at the original Woodstock festival 37 years earlier. For their last song, they played "Woodstock."
The Museum Opens and Grows
The museum at Bethel Woods opened in June 2008. It teaches visitors about the 1969 Woodstock festival and the culture of the 1960s.
In 2012, Bethel Woods became its own independent non-profit organization. The next year, it opened a conservatory. This school helps expand music education programs for young people.
Places to See and Hear Music
Bethel Woods has several cool places for performances and events.
The Pavilion: Main Stage
The main stage is called The Pavilion. It has a large covered area with 4,500 seats. There's also a big grassy lawn where up to 10,500 people can sit and enjoy the show.
Other Performance Areas
- The outdoor Terrace Stage is near the museum. It can hold up to 1,000 people.
- The original Woodstock Festival Field is huge. It can host events for up to 30,000 people.
- The Event Gallery is an indoor hall with 440 seats.
- The Museum Theatre has 132 seats.
- There are also event spaces called The Market Sheds and two classrooms.
The Museum at Bethel Woods
The Museum at Bethel Woods opened its doors in June 2008. Its goal is to show what the 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair was like. It also explains how important this event was for the 1960s. The museum explores the lasting impact of that time.
What You'll See at the Museum
The museum has permanent exhibits that tell a story:
- The Sixties: This part shows what life was like in the 1960s.
- The Woodstock Festival: Here, you learn about the famous music festival.
- Three Days of Peace and Music: This section focuses on the actual days of Woodstock.
- Impact of Woodstock & The Sixties: This shows how Woodstock and the 1960s changed the world.
These exhibits use films, interactive displays, and real items from the past.
The museum spends about two-thirds of its space on the music festival. But it also has exhibits about other parts of the 1960s. You can see personal stories and multimedia shows. These cover music, fashion, and important events of the decade. It helps you understand the world Woodstock happened in.
The museum is quite large, with a 7,000 sq ft (650 m²) exhibit area. It has a 132-seat high-definition theater. There's also a 4,300 sq ft (400 m²) gallery, classrooms, a cafe, and a gift shop. A special exhibit gallery opened in 2009.
In 2010, the Museum at Bethel Woods won a special award. It received a Thea Award for being excellent in themed entertainment.
How Bethel Woods Helps the Area
Bethel Woods offers programs for nine months of the year. The center has helped bring back tourism to the region. This area had struggled after many resorts closed down.
The opening of the arts center in 2006 led to more growth in Bethel. It also helped nearby towns like Kauneonga Lake. Bethel Woods is now one of the biggest programs helping the local economy.
Since 2006, over 2.9 million people have visited Bethel Woods. In 2018 alone, there were more than 214,000 visitors. This has created many jobs and brought money into New York State.
See also
- List of contemporary amphitheatres
