Concert survival requires planning

Web posted July 20, 1999

By Tamara Ikenberg
The Baltimore Sun

There are still plenty of tickets left for the three-day Woodstock music festival in Rome, N.Y. They are $150 through TicketMaster until Thursday, when the price will go up to $180, and concertgoers will be able to purchase them at various sites en route to the concert, according to Elizabeth Chanley, spokeswoman for the festival.

But if you haven't solidified your Woodstock travel and accommodation plans, don't breathe a sigh of relief just yet.

HOTELS:

Most hotels within an hour's drive of the concert site are booked.

CAMPING:

This is your best option at this point. Your ticket grants you free access to designated Woodstock camping areas with public restrooms and showers. There will be no electricity on the campgrounds. You can either park an RV or set up a tent. If you camp off-site, take advantage of the free Woodstock shuttle buses.

GOING BY CAR:

Caravaning is an option. On the Woodstock Web site (www.woodstock.com), you can access message boards or join chats to find people in your area looking to team up for the long drive.

WHAT TO TAKE:

Bring comfortable shoes, personal hygiene stuff, several changes of clothes, non-aerosol sunscreen and bug repellent, plastic tent stakes and cameras, small tarps, rain gear, light sleeping equipment, mosquito netting, etc.

Though you may bring nonperishable food items, there will be concessions everywhere to satiate your Woodstock cravings, as well as beer gardens for ID-carrying fans 21 and older.

WHAT NOT TO TAKE:

Don't bring drugs, pets, weapons, recording devices, alcohol, umbrellas, glass or metal cans, things that cause fires, pots, pans, stoves or grills, etc. If any of these things are found in your possession, you will be denied entrance until you dump them or donate them to charity. A full listing of Woodstock necessities and no-nos is on the Web site.