My thesis is devoted to focusing on the issue of counterculture in the 1960s and examining the hippie movement and, in particular, finding the answer to the question what appealed to the wider public in the United States of America so much, that some 450,000 attended the acts and concerts of the Woodstock Festival in the summer of 1969. I am going to consider what factors led to the fact that the hippies and their movement became well known and influential to the younger generation of this era. Last August Americans celebrated the 40th anniversary of the biggest music festival ever. Both History Channel and Discovery Channel had specials on the event. The news drew my attention to one of the most pivotal periods of American history and culture. My research aims at fulfilling these interests in the cultural protest that lies in hiding behind the political, social and cultural events of the 1960s.