Woodstock 50's application to hold its 50th-anniversary event at the Vernon Downs racetrack in Vernon, New York, has once again been rejected due to safety and capacity issues.
The permit application was denied for the fourth time in two weeks, with Town of Vernon Code Enforcement Officer Reay Walker calling the event's safety plan "worthless."
Walker argued in a letter to organizers that the inclusion of a "confidentiality statement" in the public safety plan "invalidates the entire plan."
Organizers do not "make any warranty as to the absolute accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this Public Safety Plan," which Walker said makes it "worthless as a basis for issuing a permit."
Walker also noted a lack of details about preventing people without tickets from entering the venue, the construction of a perimeter fence and where the estimated 65,000 attendees would go once the festival ends each night.
"Implicit in this application is that those forced to leave Vernon Downs at 11:00 at night will sleep in their cars or any lawn or sidewalk that seems unguarded," he wrote.
Woodstock 50 was originally planned for August 16 to 18 at Watkins Glen International racetrack but has faced continual setbacks, including losing its original venue, corporate financier Dentsu Aegis, and several production companies.
The planned lineup for the festival included headliners such as Jay-Z, Chance the Rapper, Imagine Dragons, The Killers, Miley Cyrus and Santana, among many others.
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