The soundtrack of Sullivan County
The 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair, held right here at Bethel Woods, changed more than the sound of a generation—it changed the rhythm of American history. What began as a weekend of peace and music on Max Yasgur’s rolling farmland became the heartbeat of a culture built on creativity, connection and community. Today, that same energy carries through every note played across the Sullivan Catskills, where the joy of gathering for live music still echoes through the hills.
It all started here
When Brooklyn born Richie Havens took the Woodstock stage at 5 p.m. on Friday, August 15 in 1969, none of the nearly half a million people knew they were shaping history. The crowd, spread across Yasgur’s fields, wasn’t just listening–they were witnessing the birth of a cultural legacy.
Now, more than half a century later, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts honors that spirit year-round. The state-of-the-art amphitheater and museum host world-class musicians and storytellers from spring through fall, blending innovation with nostalgia in a setting still surrounded by the same pastoral calm that once welcomed the world.
A classical experience
While Woodstock amplified rock’s greatest legends, the Shandelee Music Festival in Livingston Manor has quietly cultivated its own harmony for more than 30 years. Set on 75 acres of tranquil Catskills forest, the climate-controlled Sunset Concert Pavilion was built for intimacy, with every seat close enough to feel the resonance of a piano string or a performer’s breath between notes. The venue also has numerous showcase performances each season, including a special Student Night each August.
Each summer, the festival’s Student Night highlights emerging musicians, while world-renowned artists perform programs that balance tradition and innovation. Likewise, the Weekend of Chamber Music, held each July, threads together works by Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert and Schumann with modern masters. It’s a festival that evolves with each season, creating a living conversation between centuries. The ever-evolving lineup has become one of the most eagerly awaited announcements each spring.
Catskills sound deep in the woods
For those who crave a deeper connection, where the line between artist and audience blurs beneath a canopy of trees, the Outlier Inn Concert Series in Woodridge captures the soul of Sullivan’s creative undercurrent. This eclectic retreat on 14 acres of wooded farmland brings together music lovers, makers and wanderers for weekends of farm-to-table meals, wellness workshops, studio sessions and live performances under the stars.
It’s a gathering that feels less like an event and more like a return to nature, to rhythm and to the heart of the Catskills.
