Moshpit, fire and stench: how the Woodstock Festival was held in 1999

The Woodstock Rock Festival, which took place in 1999 in Rome, New York, was supposed to be an atmospheric event where peace and free love would reign, as at the iconic Woodstock 30 years before. But as a result, the fest turned into a wild trash and frenzy. 

On" Woodstock-99 " two people were killed, several were victims of rape. Deranged thugs set things on fire and lay in feces in 38-degree heat. Impressive photos from the scene of the tragic events demonstrate what a nightmare was going on during the clashes between the participants of the infamous event.

Informal people smeared with dirt and feces smashed everything around at the Woodstock 99 festival. The police officers who arrived at the scene could not calm the disordered revelers for a long time. Fires lit up the night sky here and there, while looters looted wagons. The horror that was happening there is hard to convey in words, but you can see it in archival photos.

The festival was held on the territory of the former air force base. Participants climbed on poles to get a better look at the performances of iconic bands, including Red Hot Chili Peppers and Metallica.

One of the most disgusting incidents at the festival was the gang rape of a woman during a performance by the band Limp Bizkit.

The events at "Woodstock 99" were compared by eyewitnesses to the apocalypse. The place where the event was organized was far from the necessary amenities, so everything around was littered with garbage.

The participants had to set up tents directly on the concrete.

The worst part began when the festival was completely unsanitary. The organizers installed tanks with drinking water, but the people began to bathe in them. It is clear that it was impossible to drink such water, so people began to make holes in the pipes connected to the tanks. As a result, there was a whole stream in which water mixed with feces from overflowing toilets.

Almost everyone was covered in a mixture of dirt and excrement from head to toe.

There were not enough drinks and water at the festival. 200,000 participants were forced to buy drinking water for $ 8 per bottle.

And then there were cases of attacks, rapes and inappropriate behavior. The guards could no longer control the situation.

People littered everything with garbage. Some participants were carried out of this chaos on stretchers after fights.

The lawlessness continued during the performance of the band Red Hot Chili Peppers. While the concert was going on, some limitless people lit torches using plastic bottles. As a result, the fire engulfed the audio tower.

Hundreds of police officers arrived at the scene, who tried to restore order. They clashed with heated hooligans.

A large number of sexual harassment cases and eight cases of rape were reported. Two people died at the festival: they died from the infernal heat. 10,000 participants needed medical assistance – 7,000 of them suffered from heat stroke and dehydration. 44 brawlers were arrested.

"Woodstock 99" was called "the day when music died". The famous festival has become a place of chaos and disastrous destruction.

Before that, the Woodstock Festival was a symbol of freedom and a favorite gathering place for hippies. Especially attracted the attention of its beautiful participants.