“Look upon these fields and you will see a thousand little fires burning through the alfalfa. Fires that burn in hearts and minds that come together. The children of the stars come here to drink from the wisdom that grows here, grows from the gathering of souls. -Terry ManessWhat could make such a compelling statement about? Woodstock Music Festival, otherwise known as the largest music festival of the counterculture era; but just four months later, the music died, all thanks to the Altamont Music Festival. Woodstock was a three-day music festival (with a short and extended fourth day), bringing together the hottest rock stars of the 1960s, including: Santana, Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, The Who, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Jimi Hendrix and many others. Woodstock took place in Bethel, New York. from 15 to 18 August 1969 at Max Yasgur's Dairy Farm. On December 6, 1969, the Altamont Music Festival took place at the Altamont Speedway in Northern California and is widely remembered as the day the music died. Altamont was the one-day concert that ended the Sixties and ended Rock n' Roll, due to some internal problems at the event. Woodstock was considered the high point of the counterculture era, Altamont the low point, yet these two events were only four months apart. Music festivals eventually stopped happening due to the surprising and unexpected bad experiences that occurred on December 6, 1969, at the Altamont Music Festival. Woodstock was a very well organized event that took time to plan and even had a committee specifically for the organization. On the other hand, Altamont was very disorganized and was considered a “throw-together” party. Within the event, many had unpleasant and......middle of paper......Lollapalooza in 1991. The Woodstock Music Festival is known for being the culmination of the countercultural movement, and the Altamont Music Festival is remembered as “the concert that ended the sixties”. Looking at the two festivals it becomes relevant why Woodstock was successful and why Altamont was a failure. With large music festivals it seems that superb organisation, a suitable location and formal security are key to having a prosperous event; Woodstock is a great example of this and Altamont is completely antagonistic to the fundamentals of success. Due to the lack of Altamont, the 1960s ended horribly, putting an end to Rock n' Roll music festivals. No more rock n' roll will play through the valleys, no more "family" gatherings of peace and love will burn in the hearts of hippies, because the music festivals are over.