Woodstock creator, Michael Lang, will open The Big Chill

Woodstock festival creator, Michael Lang, will open this year's Big Chill and face questions from chillers at the Word in Motion stage.

This year the creator of America's famous Woodstock festival, Michael Lang, is coming to The Big Chill as it celebrates Woodstock's 40th birthday this August.

The Woodstock Music and Art Fair is widely regarded as one of the most significant moments in popular music history and was listed one of the '50 moments that changed the history of rock and roll' by Rolling Stone magazine. The brainchild of Michael Lang and Artie Kornfield, with the help of financiers John Roberts and Joel Rosenman, the Woodstock idea was born.

Forty years on, Woodstock is a festival that will never be forgotten. It was 15th August 1969, when Richie Havens opened up the first ever Woodstock to 500,000 people, and this summer Big Chill will be commemorating that moment.

Michael Lang will also be appearing at the Words In Motion tent on the opening evening, so that Big Chill festival goers will be able to speak to the man himself in a special Q&A session.

This year at Big Chill there will also be a special 40th anniversary screening of the film, 'Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music'.

Speaking about Woodstock 1969, Michael Lang said, "Eight months before the event, I had a dream. I was on a stage looking out at a sea of people, and I knew that was coming. I didn't have the specifics of it, but I had the end results. I just followed that."

Katrina Larkin co-founder of The Big Chill said on the partnership, "Woodstock is seen as the perfect celebration of the 60's peace and love movement. An ideal which the founders of The Big Chill hold dear and which has helped define the ethos of The Big Chill these past 15 years. It is yet to be seen if the skinny dipping that was so prevalent in the Filippini Pond in '69 will happen in the Eastnor pond this year. If it does then it is likely that Michael Lang will be the one leading the charge."

The Big Chill which happens on Friday 7th until Sunday 9th August at Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire offers both families and ravers a diverse range of music including folk, jazz, African, dub, and unique collaborations; as well as art, films, poetry, cabaret, kids spaces, comedy, and literature.

Music acts confirmed for next month's festival include Basement Jaxx, Orbital, and David Byrne, as headliners, with other acts including Gong, Lamb, Magistrates, Alphabeat (DJ Set), DJ Derek, Ska Cubano,Friendly Fires, Norman Jay,Wonky Pop, Ludovico Einaudi, Calexico, Horse Meat Disco, Pharoah Sanders, Favela Chic Soundsystem, Alice Russell, John Hegley, and Summer of Dub. For the line-up details as available please click here.

Tickets are on sale, priced at £145 for an adult weekend ticket, teen tickets (13 to 17 years old) are priced at £60, and kid (12 and under) are £4. Live-in vehicle tickets are priced at £50 (per vehicle for the weekend), and car park tickets are £7.50 in advance, more on the gate.

To buy tickets, click here.

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