Blenheim Palace’s April Fool claim about hosting original Woodstock festival fools media outlet

The BBC recently admitted falling for an April Fool’s joke that claimed the Woodstock music festival was inspired by a gathering 200 years earlier in the UK’s Woodstock. The hoax stemmed from a report by archivists at Blenheim Palace, who claimed to have found evidence of a festival in 1769, two centuries before the famous 1960s event.

The story gained traction through the BBC’s social media accounts before it was discovered to be false. The corporation swiftly deleted the post and replaced it with a corrected version. In the updated article, Blenheim Palace clarified that the festival claim was fabricated as a prank for April Fool’s Day.

Interestingly, the pranksters left a clue within the story by mentioning a singer named Vincent Furnier who performed at the 1769 event. This name happens to be the real identity of rock star Alice Cooper, born in 1948. It was a clever hint that the tale was not to be taken seriously.

Dr. Alexa Frost, an archivist at Blenheim Palace, suggested that their faux festival could be seen as the first of its kind in history, possibly influencing the later Woodstock festival in the US. The BBC spokesperson acknowledged the oversight in falling for the prank, emphasizing the importance of maintaining editorial standards and promptly correcting inaccuracies.