GeoWoodstock
The Original Mega Event
In 2003, a Tennessee geocacher named JoGPS had a vision. His dream was to host a geocaching event that would bring together the top cachers of the time from all over the country in one place. After consulting with friends and choosing Louisville, Kentucky as a central location he hosted the first “GeoWoodstock.” Although, it was originally conceived as a national event, it quickly gained international status as cachers travelled from around the world to attend the “world’s largest gathering of geocachers”. Since then the event has enjoyed many “firsts”, including being the first event to attain “Mega-Event” status, the first “event geocoin”, the first event with over 1,000 attendees and the first event in the United States to be awarded Giga-Event status for an event expecting more than 5,000 attendees.
Unlike many regional events Geowoodstock has been hosted all over the United States. The GeoWoodstock organizing committee, which is made up of past hosts, accepts proposals from local groups who then host the event according to a set of guidelines set by the committee, kind of like the Olympics. This allows for a consistent event experience and management while making sure that each version has its own local flair. GeoWoodstock is, generally, held on Saturday of either Memorial Day weekend or the weekend nearest Independence Day (July 4th), in order to assure the best weather possible. Past events have been held all over the United States:
GeoWoodstock I – Lousville, Kentucky
GeoWoodstock II – Nashville, Tennessee
GeoWoodstock III – Jacksonville, Florida
GeoWoodstock IV – Dallas, Texas
GeoWoodstock V – Raleigh, North Carolina
GeoWoodstock VI – Wheatland, California
GeoWoodstock VII – Bell Buckle, Tennessee
GeoWoodstock VIII – Seattle, Washington
GeoWoodstock IX – Warren, Pennsylvania
GeoWoodstock X – Sellersburg, Indiana
GeoWoodstock XI – Lakeland, Florida
GeoWoodstock XII - St. Charles, Missouri
GeoWoodstock XIII - Boonsboro, Maryland
GeoWoodstock XIV - Denver, Colorado
GeoWoodstock XV - Waynesville, North Carolina
GeoWoodstock XVI - Cincinnati, Ohio
GeoWoodstock XVII - Fort Worth, Texas
GeoWoodstock XVIII- Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
GeoWoodstock XIX- Owensboro, Kentucky
Our next event-
GeoWoodstock XX- Flagstaff, Arizona
From its humble roots in a small Louisville, Kentucky park, GeoWoodstock has become an annually celebrated international event that continues to grow in global attendance and excitement. As the original Mega-Event, GeoWoodstock attendance is a feather in any geocacher’s cap; in fact, many schedule their summer vacations around attending this historic event.
GeoWoodstock.org
GeoWoodstock.org is maintained by the GeoWoodstock Host Committee, a group of past event hosts, who provide history and context, act as stewards for the annual GeoWoodstock event and select the host city or organization each year, based on submitted proposals. Although the Committee provides guidance and accountability for the event each year, we do not take an active part in the current event. Any questions concerning the current GeoWoodstock should be addressed to the hosts.
Want to know more about the Original Mega Event? Take a look around the site:
The Past - A look back at previous events, in the words of their hosts.
The Present - Information about and links to the Current GeoWoodstock.
The Future - Interested in hosting GeoWoodstock, then look to the Future.
The Godfather - Joe "JoGPS" Armstrong, the founder of GeoWoodstock and his legacy.