HIPPIES, beaded necklaces and tie-dyed T-shirts helped transport thousands of people back to the 1960s at Woodstock Carnival.

About 3,000 people flocked to the hippy-themed event in Woodstock on Saturday to celebrate the town’s namesake — the 1969 Woodstock music festival.

Residents of the West Oxfordshire town embraced their eponymous link with the festival, which was held about 50 miles away from the town of Woodstock in New York State 40 years ago.

Organiser Julie Symcox said: “It was brilliant. The weather was good. There were a lot of people there. The theme was Woodstock 40 years on because it was 40 years since the big festival in America.

“We decorated the stage with big plastic guitars and flowers.”

Ms Symcox, a chemistry teacher at Marlborough School, said the event included about 35 stalls and a parade through the town centre as well as a music stage, jugglers and stilt walkers.

She added: “It was a very pleasant local event that draws quite a lot of people. There was a very nice atmosphere.”

The carnival, which has been running for about 20 years, also raises money for local charities and is completely funded by local sponsorship.

The Woodstock music festival took place in August 1969 and became a symbol of the hippie era, with many of those attending rejecting materialism and authority, protesting against the Vietnam War and supporting the civil rights movement.

It was also a milestone in the history of rock culture with some of the greatest musicians of the 1960s performing – including Janis Joplin, Santana, The Who and Jimi Hendrix.