Ninety-three days after the first reports that a festival marking the 50^th anniversary of the Woodstock music festival would no longer happen in Watkins Glen, and six days after organizers gave up on having it in New York state, Woodstock 50 has officially been canceled.

“We are saddened that a series of unforeseen setbacks has made it impossible to put on the Festival we imagined with the great line-up we had booked and the social engagement we were anticipating,” Michael Lang, co-founder of the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival, said Wednesday in a statement. “When we lost the Glen and then Vernon Downs we looked for a way to do some good rather than just cancel. We formed collaboration with HeadCount to do a smaller event at the Merriweather Pavilion to raise funds for them to get out the vote and for certain NGOs involved in fighting climate change.  We released all the talent so any involvement on their part would be voluntary. Due to conflicting radius issues in the DC area many acts were unable to participate and others passed for their own reasons. I would like to encourage artists and agents, who all have been fully paid, to donate 10% of their fees to HeadCount or causes of their choice in the spirit of peace. Woodstock remains committed to social change and will continue to be active in support of HeadCount’s critical mission to get out the vote before the next election. We thank the artists, fans and partners who stood by us even in the face of adversity. My thoughts turn to Bethel and its celebration of our 50^th Anniversary to reinforce the values of compassion, human dignity, and the beauty of our differences embraced by Woodstock.”

The announcement marks the end of a three-month legal battle over whether to hold the festival. After Watkins Glen pulled out of the plan earlier this spring, organizers tried to plan a smaller event at Vernon Downs. After Vernon town leaders turned down three applications Woodstock 50 organizers filed, organizers applied to hold the event at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.

With the scheduled dates of the festival being Aug. 16-18, organizers simply ran out of time.

"While we were able to quickly eliminate the venue portion of the challenge to present Woodstock, it was just too late in the game,” said Seth Hurwitz, chairman of I.M.P., owner of the 9:30 Club and The Anthem and operator of Merriweather Post Pavilion and the Lincoln Theatre. "Hopefully, with plenty of time to prepare, Merriweather will become the site of a future festival that captures the original vibe. A lot of people clearly wanted it to happen.”