In 1969, The Beatles turned down Woodstock. Years later, Ringo Starr revealed they “regretted” not being there

The Beatles did not attend Woodstock in 1969, despite the festival taking place in the same year as their final public performance on the rooftop of Apple Corps in London. Ringo Starr later said the band regretted missing the event, which brought together major performers and became a defining symbol of the era’s counterculture.

Starr recalled being struck by Jimi Hendrix’s performance and the other “magical musical moments” at the festival. Around half a million people travelled to Woodstock, where artists including Joan Baez, The Who, Jefferson Airplane and Creedence Clearwater Revival played. The Beatles instead ended their live career with a comparatively low-key rooftop concert.