The European production of Woodstock '99, one of two events this year celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the original giant hippie fest held in 1969 in rural New York, has announced an initial line up that includes Metallica, Iggy Pop, Skunk Anansie, Anouk and Faithless among others.

The organizers, who are calling the production the largest festival in Europe, are staging the show July 16-18 in Wiener-Neustadt, 25 miles from Vienna, one week prior to a planned U.S. event.

The Austrian site, which the promoters liken to "a temporary city the size of Bonn," is expected to draw 250,000 people. It will feature close to 100 acts, many of them internationally-based artists and/or world music performers in keeping with their 'one world' theme, playing on two main stages and in four performance zones. Also on hand will be skateboard ramps, climbing walls, quiet-time areas, cyber zones and even movie theaters. They plan on building the facilities starting in March.

Meanwhile no artists for the American venture have been confirmed although the organizers, a group which includes original Woodstock promoter Michael Lang, announced that the dates will be July 23 to 25.

The original festival made history when it drew a half a million people to Bethel, New York, 30 miles from the town of Woodstock, to see acts ranging from Joni Mitchell to Jimi Hendrix. Lang staged a somewhat controversial 25th anniversary production in 1994 in Saugerties, New York, and apparently the crowd control, traffic and clean-up problems stemming from that event have motivated site officials to ask for a hefty bond this time around. The promoters are said to be balking at paying it.

The local media reports that the festival has lined up a back-up site at Griffis Air Force Base in Rome, New York.