Final answer:
The Woodstock festival held in 1969 in Bethel, New York, was a significant cultural event that symbolized youth, rebellion, and the counterculture movement of the 1960s, attended by over 500,000 fans and reflecting profound social trends.
Step-by-step explanation:
The legendary 1969 upstate New York music festival attended by over 500,000 fans was Woodstock. It took place in rural Bethel, New York, and became the cultural touchstone of a generation. The festival symbolized a celebration of youth, rebellion, and individuality, as well as embodying the cultural independence and freedom of Americans coming of age in the 1960s. Woodstock reflected social trends of the time, including the widespread use of drugs like marijuana and LSD, and helped to shape American culture both aesthetically and behaviorally.
Held in mid-August 1969, the event saw thirty-two acts perform to a crowd that had jammed roads throughout the state. A spirit of community prevailed, as the festival attendees partook in the music and substances freely in the rainy, three-day event. It was a defining moment of the counterculture movement and a testament to the power of music as a unifying force.
As captured by freelance reporter Mark Goff, and recollected by attendee Glenn Weiser, Woodstock offered an opportune setting where people could experience exhilarating freedom. Beyond its musical legacy, it stood as a sociocultural event that reflected the times' ethos of free love, peace, and transformation.